The Dark Lord Gave To Me
by ShadeDancer
Summary: Voldemort's doing everything he can to give Harry twelve special days of Christmas. Slash.
1. First Day

Here before you is the reason none of my other stories have gotten updated in the past week or so. Yes, I started another one. There is good news though. This story is ready to be posted, one chapter per day for twelve days plus a special thirteenth. But there's a catch. Turns out I'm going to be going out of town for a few days and I'm not sure what my internet access will be like. I will try to stick to my original plan, but should that fail I will post when I can. Merry Christmas!

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**First Day**

It was Christmas Day, but Harry couldn't bring himself to enjoy it as the others who had stayed behind at Hogwarts for the holidays so obviously were. Oh sure he had gotten up and opened Christmas present with the rest of them, including the obligatory Weasley sweater, but the one person he had most wanted to receive a gift from hadn't sent him anything. But then what had he expected when they were currently fighting, each of them trying to wound the other with scathing written letters because Harry had chosen to remain at Hogwarts over the winter break to avoid arousing suspicion. I didn't make the lack of a Christmas gift hurt any less though, especially since he had sent his gift with Hedwig just the night before so that it would arrive as a sort of peace offering.

"Come on Harry," Ron's excited voice turned him away from staring out the window at Hogwart's snow covered grounds. "It's breakfast time. Bring your cloak, the twins are coming up from Hogsmeade to have a snowball fight after we eat."

Harry forced a smile to his face as he wandlessly summoned his cloak from the dorms. "I'm ready."

"Bloody showoff," Ron's voice was good natured though Harry could still hear the underlying jealousy. "Can't you just walk up to the dorms like a normal person?"

Harry shrugged. "I would have gotten yours if you had asked."

Hermione joined them with a handful of others as if sensing an impending fight, "we're ready too. Let's go have breakfast."

Together the Gryffindors trooped down to the Great Hall, meeting up with a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws along the way and Ron invited them to join in the after-meal snowball fight. Harry, in a perverse mood because of the near confrontation with Ron when he was already upset, invited the Slytherins he saw at breakfast and caused an uproar among the other houses.

"What the hell, Harry!" Ron's last bite of egg spewed from his mouth in a masticated glob when Harry called out to invite the Slytherins to join them. "They're not invited!"

"They are now," Harry countered back. "I'll even be on their team to show it's not a trick. It's not fair to leave them out."

"We accept," Blaise Zabini spoke up for the gathered Slytherins after glancing around and receiving nods in answer to his look, "but no magic during the fight."

"What?" Ron looked aghast.

"Come on Weasley," Blaise goaded. "You already have us slightly outnumbered, so what could it hurt. The only magic allowed will be in the first ten minutes to build a fort consisting only of snow and for any personal charms on clothing. We stick to the lake side of the castle, but can range freely about there. Buildings are off-limits, but it's free game to take the other team's fort. What do you say?"

Harry smirked privately at Blaise while everyone's attention was on Ron's red face, Blaise had just pulled their plan off perfectly and had ensured Harry some quality time with his Slytherin friend on Christmas Day—it also gave Harry the perfect chance to plant a snowball on Ron's face.

"Alright," Ron was determined now, "but the first time you cheat all bets are off. We won't take it easy on you even though you're a Gryffindor Harry. Come on guys, let's get our fort started."

Blaise smirked back at Harry when only a few of the Slytherins were left in the Great Hall, the rest having gone to start on the fort; all the professors except for Snape had quickly disappeared to their offices or private chambers at the mentions of a snowball fight.

"You sure know how to play Weasley, Harry. Your plan was perfect."

"Indeed," Severus had joined them, briefly placing a comforting hand on the Gryffindor's shoulder. "Very Slytherin of you Harry."

"Thank you Professor," Harry actually smiled at the 'greasy git'. "And thank you for the present."

Harry stopped and hesitated for a moment, "is he—?"

Severus shook his head. "I do not know."

A dejected look passed over Harry's face, disappearing as quickly as it had come.

"Let's go Blaise," Harry rallied and headed for the door, "we need to help the others with the fort."

"Harry," Severus' voice had Harry pausing for a brief instant. "Thank you for my gift as well."

Harry smiled and continued outside into the crisp air brought on by the new snow, his charmed boots allowing him to run quickly across the snow without sinking into the deep drifts. As he went he mentally shoved his unhappiness into the back of his mind, not wanting to ruin the fun ahead for his friends because he was having relationship issues.

* * *

Voldemort watched from the dark shadows that enclosed the Forbidden Forest, observing as Harry and Blaise joined the others out on the snowy grounds to help work on the fort. It was not yet time to put his plans into action, not when he was being given this chance to watch Harry like this. Harry was a natural leader, pulling the fractured Slytherins together to work as a team, guiding them with strategy while still making sure it was fun. The other three houses might have the Slytherin's outnumbered, but their sloppy fort and disorganization would lead them to defeat.

Voldemort turned away from watching Harry when the snowballs started to fly and the children began to range about on the grounds, the Slytherins having changed their cloaks to white so that they could better hide in the pristine snow. It was hard to resist the temptation to make either the Granger girl or one of the youngest two Weasley's disappear, but it was time for him to begin what he had come for and such a distraction would ruin everything. With a precise flick of his wand a limp bundle lifted from the ground to obediently follow behind him, a second flick concealing him from the sight of anyone who might happen to look his way. It wouldn't do for anyone to interrupt him, not this early in the game.

* * *

Harry threw the snowball with an unerring accuracy that would have seen him become a Chaser if he wasn't already such a damn good Seeker and watched with satisfaction as the snow splashed across Ron's face.

"Dammit," Ron sputtered as he wiped the powdery snow off his face so he could see again, "who threw that? Fred! George! Where are you? I'll get you for that!"

Harry smirked silently from where he hid behind a snow drift packing together another snowball. Ginny was next.

"Oy, wicked shot there Harry." Fred and George had flopped down to join him as Ron scampered off. "Glad we're not fighting against you, but did you have to get us blamed for your dirty work?"

Harry grinned at his two friends, they had secretly followed him over to Voldemort's side the year before after learning some interesting information at Order meetings that was being kept from Harry, "you're the ones that decided to defect to my team so that you could clobber Ron with snowballs. It's not my fault I'm hitting him more than you are."

"Ah well," George sighed, "we shall just have to console ourselves that as an honorary Weasley you are doing your sibling duty."

"Yes of course" Fred chimed in, "but when carrying out said sibling duties remember that we prank you nowhere near as often as we do Ron and Ginny and be lenient on us."

"You just don't want to get on my bad side and have Tom upset with you for pissing me off."

Harry grinned back at the twins, daring them to retort when an odd sound had him holding up a hand to shut them up. It came again. "Do you guys hear that?"

The twins sobered and listened. "It almost sounds like someone screaming, but it's odd and distorted."

Harry nodded in agreement, "it's coming from the direction of the Whomping Willow. Run back and send Blaise to me, but be discreet. I don't want any of the others to get curious."

The twins bowed their heads and took off, following Harry's orders without question. Cautiously Harry followed the thread of sounds in the direction of the Whomping Willow, drawing his wand and keeping to cover as much as possible. As he got closer to the destructive tree though he realized that the screaming sounds were coming from a person hanging onto the wildly thrashing branches. Quickly he broke into a run and sent a spell hurtling at the secret knot that would immobilize the Whomping Willow, but he wasn't quick enough to keep the person from being smacked with a meaty thud between two branches one last time.

With seeming reluctance the Whomping Willow stopped tossing itself around and Harry realized that the trees latest victim had finally stopped screaming, most likely from that last blow. Moving nearer to the tree now that it was safe, Harry examined the situation a bit closer. What he saw made him gasp with laughter. It was Peter Pettigrew. Someone had tied the rat to a large branch of the tree with a length of black ribbon sporting festive green dark marks and a Merry Christmas sign before letting the Whomping Willow have some quality play time with its new friend.

"Harry!" Blaise was slightly out of breath as he and the twins arrived on the scene, "is everything alright?"

"It is now," Harry grinned at the other three. "Tom didn't forget my present after all."

The twins glanced at each other and then back at the bound Peter Pettigrew, "so that's what he wanted the ribbon for. What are you going to do with him?"

Harry sighed as he looked longingly over at the bruised and bloody man, Wormtail looked as if someone had run him through a meat tenderizer, "I'd hate to have to turn my present over to Dumbledore before I get a chance to play with him. Do you think the two of you can take Peter back to Tom for me so that I can take care of him later?"

Meanwhile Blaise walked closer and poked the now unconscious man before pulling off the Merry Christmas sign, "it looks like our Lord left you a message Harry. It says 'Day One' and is signed by True Love. What does that mean?"

Harry thought a moment before smirking in sudden understanding. "It means he's trying to make up to me. There's a muggle song about the Twelve Days of Christmas where each day the True Love gives a number of gifts corresponding with the day of Christmas. This is Day One."

Blaise just shook his head in confusion as the twins untied Pettigrew and smuggled him beneath the Whomping Willow's branches and away to the Shrieking Shack so that they could apperate to Voldemort.

"Come on Harry, let's get back to the game. I'm sure there's still plenty of time to clobber Weasley. You can moon over your gift later."

Scooping up a handful of snow, Harry lobbed it at Blaise and sent the other boy playfully running away. "I was not mooning. I was planning how to best put my gift to use."

"Uh huh," Blaise was skeptical, but smiled to show he was only teasing. "I'll race you back to the fort."

Together the two took off, Harry in much better spirits than he had been all day.

_**On the First Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: December 25, 2007_**


	2. Second Day

Here's the next chapter, as promised. Hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday season.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Second Day**

Voldemort glided through the sleeping halls of Hogwarts, the only disturbances in the night being the occasional shifting of the stairs or the creaking of a suit of armor as it settled. It had been ridiculously easy to slip into the school, Hogwarts would always open herself to the Heirs of the Founders who had created her with their very blood and magic, but Voldemort had only been able to slip undetected through Dumbledore's wards without unsettling them because of the bond he shared with Harry. Something stirred to his left.

"I'm surprised to see you, young Tom," it was a portrait of Galatea, his old Defense Against Dark Arts professor, "and to be sneaking around so late at night. It is a bit suspicious, especially since you are in Gryffindor territory."

A smile actually crossed Voldemort's face. "A pleasure to see you again Professor Galatea. I merely come to pay a visit and be away before anyone is the wiser."

The portrait studied him shrewdly, "there is only one Gryffindor you would show interest in right now. I know you too well boy. Do you mean him harm?"

"I do not." Voldemort didn't see any harm in confiding to the portrait of the woman who had been his biggest supporter when he was a student. "I'm merely bringing him a gift."

Galatea's piercing eyes twinkled, "you care for him. No, don't deny it. What gift have you brought him?"

Almost sheepishly Voldemort held up a two-headed Runespoor and Galatea smirked, "you and those snakes of yours. Well, you must care for him a great deal if you're willing to give him one of your pets. Be off with you. I didn't see a thing, but you'd better come back and visit me sometime."

Graciously Voldemort inclined his head in thanks and continued the rest of the way towards the portrait that guarded Gryffindor Tower, drawing his wand in preparation of having to confound the Guardian. It proved to be unnecessary. The Fat Lady was well and truly asleep, swinging open without even opening her eyes as he provided the password the Zabini boy had gotten from Harry for him. Pathetic. If she had been guarding Slytherin territory she would have summarily been dismissed from her duties and most likely burned. He just hoped Harry had taken proper precautions in his dorm room to compensate for the lack of protection on Gryffindor's Tower.

To his pride Harry had, subtle wards wrapping around the stairs and up into the seventh year male dorms. The wards on the stairs were more of a warning for anyone trying to make it to the sleeping chambers with malicious intent, changing to protection on the actual dorm. These Voldemort passed through easily enough though since he did not mean any of the Gryffindors harm this night. It was the wards around Harry's very bed that pleased him the most though. They were malicious, but with enough safe guards woven within them to keep Harry's fellow Gryffindors from accidentally setting them off. Voldemort slipped right through them, employing his bond with Harry to keep from alerting the younger man that he was there and through his defenses. A small sleeping spell took care of the rest.

Harry was gorgeous even tousled as he was in sleep, perhaps even more so because here his expression wasn't a carefully schooled mask. Gently Voldemort reached out to stroke a hand through Harry's hair and down one side of the young man's face. He still couldn't believe Harry was his. It was a gift from the Gods, one that he would not foolishly forsake or attempt to destroy ever again. Reluctantly Voldemort took his hand away and slipped it into his robe, coaxing the Runespoor out and away from the warmth of his body. It was an old Runespoor, one that had been alive for longer than Voldemort himself had been and even upon his first meeting the with the wise snake there had only been two heads present. It was unheard of for a Runespoor to live this long, most died after getting fed up with and destroying the third head that represented the Critic.

"_What are we doing here?"_ The Dreamer hissed.

"_This will be your new home. The boy is the one I have told you about. You will protect him."_ Voldemort instructed. "_You will be his friend."_

The Runespoor slithered down Voldemort's arm and across Harry's chest, the Planner leaning in close to flick his tongue across Harry's chin to taste the sleeping boy before allowing the Dreamer to do the same.

"_We shall take him."_ The Planner nudged the Dreamer back into reality as it noticed it's other half starting to drift away into a world of imagination and together they made their body curl into a comfortable ball on top of Harry's chest.

The Dreamer, already half asleep, peered at Voldemort with one open eye. "_He will call us Ajani and he will be our Ophiuchus._"

"_What?_" He was curious to know why the Runespoor would name Harry after a constellation; Voldemort knew it was a constellation but he couldn't remember anything else about it—he had not been a very good Astronomy student.

The Planner settled down and wrapped its head comfortably around the neck of the now-sleeping Dreamer and gave the snake equivalent of a shrug. "_It is what he dreams."_

Voldemort frowned knowing there was something more that the unusual Runespoor wasn't telling him, but he also knew that his friends would not give up answers that they wanted to keep. He wasn't sure bringing Harry the Runespoor that had been his odd companion throughout the years was such a good idea anymore. The problem was that he seemed to have lost any say in the matter. The snake had named itself and named Harry, giving themselves over to Harry as their new master.

"_You should leave now."_ The Planner intruded on his thoughts, startling him since he had thought it had followed the Dreamer into sleep. "_We will not harm our Ophiuchus and you should not be here when he wakes up. There are still more days left before the end."_

… … … … …

Harry woke groggily and immediately knew something was wrong, not only had he trained himself years ago to wake up instantly alert but there was an unfamiliar weight up his chest. Breathing deeply as if he was still asleep Harry let his mind clear a bit more before slowly grasping his wand tighter in his right hand. The fact that his wand was still there and that the wards around his bed were still intact and hadn't gone off allowed Harry to relax even further. He opened his eyes and immediately bit back a harsh curse as he found twin snake heads shoved right up into his face. A Runespoor.

"_Good morning Ophiuchus_." The right head, the Planner hissed. "_We are Ajani_."

"_Hello."_ Harry observed the initial courtesy before asking the question on his mind. "_Meaning no offense, but how did you get here?"_

The Dreamer answered this time, its head swaying and its voice floating as if lost in a beautiful vision. "_The one who has your heart brought us to you. We are to be your gift and you ours."_

"_Tom?"_ Harry sat up suddenly and sent the Runespoor sliding from his chest down into his lap. "_Tom was here? Why didn't he wake me? What the hell was he thinking to come into Hogwarts herself? He could have been caught!"_

"_It was not time for you to see him. There are still more days left before the end."_ The Planner answered pragmatically. "_Had you seen him you would not have remained. Do you accept us Ophiuchus?"_

Harry nodded, "_I do. You call yourself Ajani?"_

"_Yes Ophiuchus."_ The Planner was pleased. "_It means 'he who wins the struggle'."_

"_Why do you keep calling me Ophiuchus?"_

The Dreamer answered this time, eyes still looking as if they focused on something not in the room. "_The stars whispered your name to me."_

Harry shrugged and decided not to question the words of the Dreamer. "_Fair enough._ _I need to get up and get dressed now, breakfast will be served soon. Is there anything you need?"_

"_We shall go with you."_ Ajani stated as one. "_We shall need mice, but those we can find ourselves later when you do not need us at your side."_

"_You can't come with me."_ Harry argued. "_I'll get into serious trouble the moment someone sees you. It's not illegal to own a Runespoor, but it's highly frowned upon and I walk a fine line as it is."_

"_We are to protect you."_ Ajani was just as adamant. "_We shall hide in your robes as we did in the ones belonging to your mate. We shall not be noticed and will stay quiet when others are around. It would be worse to leave us where others could find us."_

Harry sighed and glanced about at his sleeping dorm mates. Ajani was right, he couldn't leave them in the dorm and risk one of the others deciding they needed to borrow something of his and discover the Runespoor. Ron for one had a particularly annoying habit of flopping down on Harry's bed to relax because his own was always a mess of junk.

"_I guess there is no choice."_ Harry agreed reluctantly. "_You can slip under my robe after I shower and get dressed."_

Gathering up his clothes, Ajani slithering into the pile to be carried along, Harry slipped into the bathroom to take a shower. He had barely been under the hot spray for a few minutes when Ajani decided to join him, the two headed Runespoor splashing gleefully in the water on the floor and hissing in delight. A small smile pulled itself from Harry's lips and he finished his shower while cautiously making sure he didn't step on his new companion. He knew Ajani wouldn't deliberately hurt him, but he wouldn't put it past the snake to react in surprise and bite him if he accidentally stepped on it.

They managed to get out of the shower, get dried off, and Harry was just finishing up dressing when Neville stumbled in still half asleep. Quickly Harry threw his robe on over his clothes and Ajani winded its way up his leg to hide from the intruder. The problem was that Ajani went up Harry's pants leg instead of up the outside and the smooth scales against his skin made Harry squirm.

"Morning Harry." Neville yawned as he headed towards the showers himself before stopping and staring. "Are you alright?"

"Morning." Harry managed to keep his voice fairly steady and not give away the fact that he currently had a Runespoor climbing his pants. "I'm fine, just heading down to breakfast. See you there."

Not giving Neville the chance to say they could go together, Harry threw his towel and pajamas in the provided hamper and left as quickly as possible without running. Unfortunately he couldn't even stop in the dorm to sort out his little problem as Dean and Seamus were stirring as well, so Harry made a hasty exit from there and out onto the stairwell leading to the common room. Plopping unceremoniously on the steps, glad for once that his year had the top dorm since that meant only his dorm mates would use this portion of stairs, Harry rolled up his pants leg and helped Ajani unwind from about him.

"_That was close."_ Harry hissed quietly to the Runespoor. "_Next time stay to the outside of my pants when you have to use me for a climbing post."_

"_We did not have much of a choice."_ Ajani hissed back. "_You did not have your robe closed; he would have seen us had we climbed the outside."_

"_Okay, okay."_ Harry knew when to concede a point, even if it was to a snake. "_Where are you going to ride? My leg is not an option. It would make walking too difficult."_

"_We normally wrap around the arm of your mate that does not hold a wand."_ The Planner informed Harry. "_We will rest our heads by your shoulder so that we might whisper to you when we need."_

Harry helped Ajani settle around his left arm; their heads nestled at the collar of his robe. "_I might not always be able to answer you."_

"_We understand. May we head to the place of eating now? We hear those who sleep with you preparing to leave."_

"_Good idea."_ Harry stood and bound down the stairs to head for the portrait hole. "_After I eat we'll visit two of my friends and find you some mice. Maybe a rat or two if we go deeper in the dungeons."_

"_We like rats."_ The Dreamer spoke up. "_Ophiuchus's mate let us play with a rat a few times, but we could not eat him. We chase him through a maze, snapping at his tail, but cannot eat him when we catch him. It frustrates us but we do not understand when your mate says the rat is also human. It smells like a rat and it tastes like a rat so it must be a rat. We really want to eat the rat. Perhaps you can convince your mate to let us eat the rat?"_

Harry burst out laughing at Tom's way of tormenting Wormtail without actually harming the rat beyond repair so that there was still something left for Harry to play with. Harry wiped tears from his eyes once he managed to catch his breath.

"_I will let you eat the rat."_ He promised Ajani, laughter bubbling up inside him again. "_But only after I get to watch you play with him for a while."_

_**On the Second Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: December 26, 2007_**


	3. Third Day

Some reviews have asked where other characters are, such as Draco. Most of them have gone home for the Winter Holiday and so if they aren't mentioned then that's the reason why. Hope that clears things up.

Also, there is torture and character death in this chapter.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Third Day**

The day dragged by slowly and by dinner Harry was nearly in a pout, one that not even Ajani could pull him out of and only two other people in the Great Hall knew why. Harry's present for Day Three hadn't come yet and the boy was starting to feel forgotten, as if Voldemort didn't really care about him after all the arguing they had been doing lately. Harry was always so strong that it was easy to forget that behind his masks there was that uncertainty when it came to relationships with others, always that fear that things would turn out badly and Harry would find himself alone again. It was a fear that the Dursley's had instilled in him as a very young child and no one had quite been able to remove it yet.

A rushing of wings overhead, not unusual during the breakfast hour but definitely strange this late at night, had Harry's face brightening as everyone looked up. In streamed enough birds so that it seemed as if that morning's delivery was merely being repeated, but these birds weren't owls. They were ravens. Abnormally huge, inky-black feathered ravens carrying neatly wrapped cloth bundles which they summarily dropped all along the Gryffindor table. The largest bundle, measuring nearly six feet long, was carried by a number of the ravens and was brought to rest on the table before Harry himself. Even then the birds, a keen intelligence in their beady eyes, did not depart and instead flew up to circle overhead in a silent flock as all the Professors at the Head Table stood to train their wands on the strange creatures.

It seemed as if it would become a stalemate, none of the birds leaving and yet none of the Professors daring to fire incase they provoked an attack, but finally a raven appearing to be the leader detached itself from the rest and flew down to rest directly in front of Harry. Around its neck was a simple green ribbon from which hung an orb made of crystal, the depths of it swirling with hypnotic color that seemed to tempt with the secrets of the universe. Harry and the raven just stared at each other, the boy only vaguely aware that Dumbledore had attempted to head his way but was stopped by the increased action from the restless flock above.

"Is that for me?" Harry finally asked the raven as if it was another person, motioning to the orb about the bird's neck.

The raven _cawed_ in a reply that could only be taken as a yes before the bird tilted its head to worry the ribbon about its neck with its shark beak.

"Here," Harry reached out his hands in a non-threatening manner. "Let me get that for you."

For a moment the raven and Harry had another staring contest before the regal creature settled back with a fluff of its feathers to let Harry at the ribbon.

"Harry—" Hermione tried to be the voice of reason as Harry reached for the ribbon's ties, but she quickly shut up when the raven turned its head just enough to glare at her with one black eye.

"There." Harry freed the ribbon and held it so the orb was dangling between him and the raven. "I have it."

The leader of the ravens gave a harsh, pleased _caw_ that was instantly taken up by all the other birds in the Great Hall as they whirled themselves into a maelstrom of wings and feathers before rushing from the room in a dark stream of noise. It was enough to send shivers down the spines of many in the Great Hall, but that wasn't the end. At the raven's cry the swirls inside the orb had begun to move and form shapes, the crystal actually rising into the air and growing in size to become something remarkably like the 3-D television. Inside the globe was a scene showing a rather non-descript muggle home, the driveway and walks shoveled clean of snow and a festive Christmas wreath on the front door framing the number of the house. It was a 4.

The entire population watched, gripped in silence as the door opened upon noiseless hinges as the house fell under a silencing charm. The first victim to be found was, at first glance, an enormous blonde blob with what appeared to be a large peppermint stick hanging out of its many-jowled face approximately where a mouth might be found.

"Wh—how did you get in here?" The boy, Harry and a handful of the others in the room knew it to be Dudley Dursley, attempted to be brave. "Get out of here you freak."

Harry winced in anticipated sympathy. Wrong thing to say.

"_Crucio!_"

It wasn't a very inventive way to start things off, but it had the desired effect. The moment Dudley started to scream, his high pitched cries an assault to the ears, Vernon and Petunia Dursley came running to see what on earth could possibly be threatening their darling baby boy in the sanctuary of their own home. They looked no different than Harry last remembered them. Petunia still looked as if she was somehow related to a horse, or perhaps a giraffe given the length of her neck, and her face was just as pinched looking as ever. Vernon might have put on a bit more weight like Dudley so obviously had, but the face behind a ridiculously large bush of a mustache was still the same unhealthy red that signaled high blood pressure.

"What is going on here?!" Vernon yelled, his face purpling from the effort. "What are you doing to my son? Get out of here you freak! Your kind is not welcome!"

Petunia paled as she realized exactly who they were dealing with. If she had been any smarter she would have run in the opposite direction the moment Dudley had begun to scream.

"V-v-vernon…" She stuttered, but to no avail. Her idiot husband had snatched his handgun out of the drawer of the foyer stand and attempted to shoot the wizard standing before them. The bullet froze in mid-air and Voldemort _tsk_ed at the foolish display before raising his wand at them once again.

In short order Voldemort had the two adults tied to the hard wood kitchen chairs, chairs solid enough to hold even the weight of Dudley, the electric lights overhead casting a sickly glow across the whole scene. Dudley was tied to the table like a sacrifice upon an altar and in this case Voldemort was the presiding priest. Vernon and Petunia attempted to plead with Voldemort despite the fact that no sound emerged from their moving lips. Voldemort hadn't silenced Dudley though, allowing the fearful grunts and whimpers to fill the room so that they could turn into full-out screams of terror and pain as the torture began. Many in the Great Hall turned away and vomited up their meals, some even tried to flee the room only to find the doors locked, but no one could escape the screams that rose in volume every time Dumbledore sent a spell to try and stop the orb from showing its grisly play of images. Even Harry, who had suffered for years at Dudley's hands, thought Voldemort was taking the torture way too far as he began to slice off Dudley's limbs joint by joint while the obese boy was still alive to feel it, cauterizing each incision so that Dudley didn't bleed out as he progressed. The final slice, one to the neck, brought blessed silence down over the Great Hall.

Tears dripped unashamedly down Petunia's face, she had stopped trying to scream through the silencing charm as numb horror set in, and Voldemort banished the mess that had once been Dudley to a pile in the corner of the kitchen. Vernon was next though Voldemort did not seem overly fond of lingering through this bout of torture, dispatching the quivering man much quicker than he had Dudley, though not before he had burned lines of fire across Vernon's skin so that he could slowly peel the flesh away along the carefully made shapes. Vernon too was summarily cut up along the joints, but unlike Dudley he was already dead when it happened; Harry suspected it was more an accident and Vernon's heart had given out from the strain then Voldemort actually ending it.

Finally Voldemort turned to Petunia.

"It's funny." Voldemort mused as he moved to sit in a chair across from Petunia. "You look nothing like your sister. Your characters aren't even similar. I remember Lily Potter well. So brave, so defiant. She was a favorite of mine. I curse the night she threw herself in front of that spell. I never wanted to harm either of them, but something happened that night—"

Harry remembered when Tom had explained everything to him, how James Potter had used his own son in a dark ritual meant to open a forbidden Gateway into another realm. Voldemort had managed to kill James before the completion of the spell, but Harry himself had still been linked to the Gateway and the only way to sever the link was through death. His unconscious mother had come around just in time to take the spell meant for him, her sacrifice agitating the already unstable magics in the room and causing the energies to explode. The result had thrown Voldemort from his body and given Harry his scar. The rest, as they say, was history. Dumbledore had arrived on the scene and had taken what few facts they could find—James dead with his wand in hand, Lily holding onto Harry with a look of fear on her face while otherwise unmarked, the destroyed house and Voldemort's wand lying amongst the ashes while a still-living Harry cried—and had constructed a fairly plausible story around a prophecy to give the wizarding world hope and they had never questioned the facts that hadn't fit. Like why Harry had a scar from a curse that left no mark.

Voldemort sighed, actually sighed. "The past is the past though and I can only ensure the future is to my liking. Say hello to Lily for me, Petunia. For her I will spare you the fate of your family. _Avada_ _Kedavra!_"

The life left Petunia on a soft breath, her sightless eyes staring into a world they could no longer see. With a flick of his wand, Voldemort covered Petunia with a shroud and banished any evidence of what had taken place in the kitchen. It was only after Voldemort was satisfied that the kitchen was spotless that he turned the recording orb so that his own face became visible.

"Merry Christmas, Harry Potter."

There had never been any love lost between him and his relatives, but Harry hadn't wanted it to end like this for them. He had wanted them given quick deaths, not be tortured before finally being given release. Suddenly not even Ajani was much comfort and Harry found himself wondering if he could reconcile the Tom he loved with the man he had just watched torture and kill his relatives.

All along the table the white cloth wrappings simply disappeared from around their bundles, revealing the severed body parts of Harry's cousin and uncle. The final shroud to disappear was the one right before Harry and he found himself gazing upon the intact body of his aunt. Tom had actually taken the time to clean her up, closing her eyelids and folding her hands in peaceful repost across her chest. Harry knew why Tom had left her intact. She may not have been a very good aunt, but she was still Lily's sister and that counted for something to the both of them. Harry leaned forward and kissed his aunt's cheek, the first and only kiss he could ever remember giving or being allowed to give her.

"Merry Christmas." He whispered the words softly against her ear so that no one else could hear, sorrow filling him as a single tear slid down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

_**On the Third Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**Three dead Dursley's…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: December 27, 2007_**


	4. Fourth Day

Ok, nothing to disturb anyone in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Fourth Day**

At 12:01 exactly, the raven came winging into Harry's dorm and dropped an old leather bound book on Harry's bed, waking him up, before flying away. Waving his hand for a ball of light, Harry stared at the book. It was from Tom, that much was obvious, but Harry was sure how to feel about it after the display in the Great Hall just a few hours ago. He also knew it wasn't his present for fourth day since it was only a single book. Cautiously Harry removed the note fastened to the front of the book.

_Read it._

That was all, nothing more to the note. Just the two words. Harry sighed, set the book aside, and immediately found himself picking it back up to just stare at it. Finally, after much internal debating and encouragement from Ajani, he opened it and began to read the scrawled writing. It was a book on the four elements and at the very end was a phrase that could have been a spell written in some dialect that Harry had never seen before. Haltingly he attempted to sound the words out, his tongue stumbling over the pronunciation as it seemed to change each time he read the words.

After the fourth attempt the words seemed to still in his mind and Harry slammed the book shut in disgust, wondering what Tom's purpose was with sending him the book. It was almost as if Tom had been grasping at straws for this gift. Harry was still angry—no—hurt at what Tom had done after swearing that he wouldn't do such things anymore. With a muffled curse Harry threw the book to the foot of his bed and extinguished the light before rolling over and pulling the covers up to his chin. He wasn't going to think about it anymore that night, not if he wanted to keep hold of his raging emotions. Employing a meditative form of Occlumency that Severus had taught him Harry did manage to fall asleep, never seeing the colored wisps that escaped the book nor feeling the breezy caress that swept across his exposed cheek.

… … … … …

"It's just not fair mate," Ron complained as they sat by the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room. "How could that greasy git give you detention over the holidays? He's a right bastard. I bet if you complained to Dumbledore—"

"Ron." Even to Harry's own ears his voice sounded tired. "Give it a rest."

"But—"

"Complaining will only make things worse." Harry felt his eyes grow heavy as he watched the flames lick hungrily at the firewood. "I'm going to sleep for a bit. Snape will keep me up all night out in the Forest and I want to be alert."

"Whatever you say." Ron muttered as he stood. "I'll see if Dean and Seamus want to go snow flying."

Harry ignored the red-head, closing his eyes as he basked in the warmth of the fire, and was only dimly aware of when the others went trooping out of the Tower to go flying. The chair he was curled up in was so comfortable and he was feeling so warm…

Harry was dreaming; that was the only explanation he could come up with as a woman partially made up of flame stepped out from the fireplace and walked towards where he sat. She was tall with golden colored skin, but her long waves of hair and flowing robe were made up of the fire she had come from—as were her eyes. Those eyes hypnotized him, held him captive as she whispered to him in his dream and surrounded him with her warmth. Harry half-heartedly thought that he should be burning up as she touched him, she was a beautiful flame goddess and too good for a mere mortal such as him, but instead found that he felt comforted and secure as she trailed a hand down his cheek and stroked his hair. Harry began to feel drowsy again and his eyes fluttered closed as sleep took him into safe arms.

… … … … ….

"Harry. Harry." A voice was calling him through the distance that sleep lent to one's consciousness. "Wake up!"

For a disoriented moment Harry thought it was his Flame Goddess calling to him but then his eyes snapped open and he was confronted with Hermione's familiar face, the warmth that had wrapped him into sleep gone. Harry glanced quickly over at the fire. It was no different than normal, perhaps the flames were a bit low, but there certainly wasn't a gorgeous woman stepping forth from it.

"Come on Harry." Hermione drew his attention back to her. "You're going to be late for your detention."

"Bloody hell." Harry jumped from the chair and summoned his cloak while he ran for the portrait hole. "Why didn't anyone wake me earlier?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but Harry was already out of the Tower and running full tilt through the halls. Severus wouldn't throw a fit if he was late, it wasn't a real detention like everyone else thought, but he had promised he'd be there on time so that they could collect some really important plants for potion ingredients that could only be gathered at night when the moon was new. Harry whirled suddenly in mid-step, it felt as if someone had just lightly run fingers through his hair but no one was there. Harry shook his head and chalked the sensation up to sleep-befuddlement, continuing is run until he made it to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Professor Snape." He greeted Severus, keeping up expected appearances until they were actually in the forest.

"Potter." Severus sneered, an amused smirk hidden underneath if you knew what to look for. "You made it. Barely. Let's go. You're wasting my time."

Harry grinned at Severus' back and followed his professor into the Forbidden Forest, keeping his eyes peeled for the elusive plants they were searching for. Of course it wasn't until they were really deep into the forest, far enough so that they had found themselves paying their respects to the Centaurs, that they found what they were looking for. It was also about this time that Harry found himself getting nervous. He felt like someone was watching him and sometimes when he jerked his head up to look around he could have sworn he saw a flitting of movement out of the corner of one eye. He knew it wasn't anything native to the forest, by now Harry was friends with almost all the creatures that lived in the Forbidden Forest—except for Aragog, but even they had managed to come to a tense agreement that involved no killing on either side.

There it was again.

"Severus," Harry kept his voice calm, letting his work carry him closer to his professor. "There's something out there."

Severus nodded his acknowledgement and kept working, but Harry noticed that the man had surreptitiously drawn his wand.

"There." Harry spotted the movement again despite how deep the darkness was outside their circle of witch-light and froze—it couldn't be.

Not only was there two beings standing there just outside the reach of the light, but from what Harry could see they reminded him very much of the Flame Goddess from his dream earlier. One had pale, sandy colored skin with a blue robe and hair while the other was brown skinned with green hair. Water and Earth. Fire earlier. Then that must mean the ghostly touches he'd been feeling in his hair randomly all day…Air. The book. The four elements given form. The ghostly hands began to card through his hair again and Harry slowly turned to face a woman with pale white skin, her silver eyes glowing as her equally silver hair floated gently in a non-existent breeze. The other two began to move nearer as well and Harry turned to call to Severus only to realize that they were no longer in the clearing but floating among the stars and then the Flame Goddess was there as well.

"What—"

"Do not be afraid, Ophiuchus." Flame whispered. "We merely wanted to meet you before the bonding."

"Bonding?"

"Yes." Air continued to play with his hair. "You summoned us and we decided to answer."

"We shall bond with you so that we will always be with you." Water laid a hand over his heart. "You are the one. You we can respect and you will respect us. We only ever bond with one human at a time."

"Tom knew about this?" Harry asked, his mind trying to wrap around what was happening as Earth joined the others and touched him. "Tom knew what you could do, that you could bond with only one at a time and he still sent you to me?"

Earth smiled. "If you speak of the one who sent you our book, no. Where you saw our history, our stories and the spell to call us, he merely saw a book on spells based around the four elements. He did not know the book hid within it a Summoning. We did not choose him."

Harry felt Flame's warmth surround him again and he fell into her sparking eyes. "Remember, we will always be connected with you. Just call to us within your mind should you have need of us. Much you will have to learn on your own for that is the way of things, but we will help with what we can."

Everything became pure sensation. Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. Harry felt them all and in feeling wondered how something that felt so good could also be so painful. Eternity stretched on and coalesced down into a mere second. Dark became Light, Light became Dark, then Harry was staring up at the sky from the clearing he and Severus had been working in and Severus was blinking as if waking from a dream.

"What just happened?" Severus asked, but Harry didn't hear. His attention was focused on his chest where four animals intertwined in play. A wolf for Earth, a phoenix for Fire, a falcon for Air, and a snake for Water. Just as they had promised they would always be connected with him, but despite all that had just happened Harry couldn't help but wonder where his shirt had disappeared to. As he thought that Harry could have sworn he heard a couple of distinctly feminine giggles come from somewhere in his mind.

_**On the Fourth Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: December 28, 2007_**


	5. Fifth Day

Guess what? This is the chapter that makes me label this story slash. I don't think it should abuse any sensitive eyes, but then I don't know what people might take offense to or not so I'm warning you anyhow. Enjoy!

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Fifth Day**

Voldemort glanced around his personal chamber, doing one last check to make sure everything was as it should be. He had spent a lot of time setting this up, making sure that there were plenty of pillows piled up on his black, silk covered bed. He had spent long minutes and laid in many different positions of the bed to ensure that the dark blue bed hangings were arranged just right to let in light from the hundreds of candles floating about the room or resting on every available surface.

It was a scene for seduction, but the seduction had already been won—this, this was merely a bonus, a remembrance of another such occasion. Voldemort had set his chambers up like this exactly once before when he seduced Harry for the very first time. By Merlin's balls but Harry had been gorgeous, lying there all tangled and sweaty as he had kissed his way down that lithe and panting body…Voldemort was getting hard just thinking about it. Moving away from the bed Voldemort forced himself to take a deep breath and fall into his mind, searching for and finding the link that would take him to Harry.

… … … … …

Harry was dreaming fitfully, dreaming wild things pulled deep from his subconscious mind, when his dreams suddenly became different and more real. Real enough that he swore he could feel the coolness of the black silk sheets he could see he was lying on—sheets remarkably similar to the ones that had adorned Tom's bed the night he had lost his virginity to the Dark Lord. Come to think of it, everything was the same as that night. The dark blue bed hangings that were artfully draped to reveal sections of the room around him, letting in the light of hundreds of candles spread out around the room to give atmosphere to the occasion.

"Hello Lover."

Those were not the words Tom had first whispered to him on this occasion and Harry began to realize that this wasn't exactly a dream. It felt so real that there was only one explanation Harry could come up with.

"You're manipulating our connection, the one you accidentally created when you possessed me to try and finish breaking my ties to the Gateway. That's how I'm here and why it seems so real."

Tom smiled at him from where he stood within the circle cast by the candlelight just at the edge of the bed; it was a predatory smile, the smile of someone who knew they were in charge. "I am."

"Why? Why are you doing all this Tom?" Harry asked, honestly curious. "You already have me, why are you going to all this trouble to woo me?"

"I'm doing it because I can." Tom answered as he moved forward to trail a hand down Harry's bare chest, pausing briefly to raise an eyebrow at Harry's new tattoo, before tweaking a nipple and grinning as Harry squirmed. "I'm doing it because I want to. I want to give you the world, Harry. I'm just showing you that it's possible. You have merely to ask and I will fulfill your every wish."

"I don't need you to fulfill my every wish." Harry's words were briefly interrupted as Tom's roaming hand caused him to gasp. "I just want things to be simple for us, between us."

"Things will never be simple Harry, not for us. Not for anyone who can wield power so casually as you. We are different Harry, two of a kind, apart from the rest. We were made for each other for just that reason. Now hush. I have plans for this time."

Tom expertly silenced any more protestations Harry might have had by climbing fully onto the bed so that he loomed over the Gryffindor's slighter form, lowering his head to claim the parted lips with his own. It might not completely be the same as the real thing, there was no taste involved in this exchange, but they were both deep enough in their linked minds that it felt as if it were actually happening. Every lick, every caress, every ghost of breath across flesh sent shivers of pleasure jolting through Harry and he soon lost himself in mindless lust as he surrendered to Tom.

"Yesss." Tom hissed as he used his nimble tongue and slick hands to tease Harry's cock, knowing that with every touch he was bringing his young mate closer to an orgasm. Tom took that as the perfect opportunity to slip a cock ring on Harry.

"Oh Gods, Tom!" Harry protested. "Gods no. Don't torture me like this."

"Plead for me." Tom ordered Harry, continuing his ministrations, and Harry did.

He pleaded long and hard for a release he knew Tom would make forever in coming and felt no shame in the fact. Then, without warning, Harry was hauled up so that he was resting on his knees facing Tom who was also on his knees. Harry knew without being told what was expected of him. Sucking cock wasn't Harry's favorite thing in the world, mainly because Tom ended up pushing really hard into the back of his throat when he came, but he didn't mind the taste and had no problem returning the favor that had already been paid to him.

"Oh yesss." Tom was really hissing now as Harry went to work using only his mouth, relishing in the feel of Tom's hands tightening in his unruly hair; even if it would be less trouble to take care of, Harry would never get his hair cut if it meant forgoing this small bit of submissive pleasure. The hands in his hair tightened, pressing down on his head so that Tom's penis pushed as far into his mouth and back into his throat as it could go so that Harry had to struggle not to gag as he swallowed.

"By Merlin's balls you're gorgeous when you do that." Tom groaned and pulled Harry up into a kiss, already growing hard again with a little help from the stamina potion he had taken before mentally connecting with Harry.

Harry groaned from a combination of lust and the need for release. "You can't be ready again. Please Tom, take it off."

Tom shook his head and tugged at Harry's right nipple with his fingers. "Not yet Harry. Not yet. This won't end until your five hours are up."

"Five hours!" Harry was astounded and dismayed at the announcement.

"Five hours." Tom confirmed. "It is the Fifth Day after all and the Fifth Day is supposed to be special."

"You're going to kill me." Harry groaned even as he submitted once again to Tom's sensitive fingers.

"Not yet Harry." Tom warned. "Not even close yet. I've barely just begun."

… … … … …

Exactly five hours after he had begun, Voldemort rose from the depths of his mind and swayed wearily. The candles around the room had dimmed considerably, some even having guttered and died, and Voldemort didn't have the strength to do more than extinguish the rest as he collapsed on the bed. The connection between Harry and himself had never meant to be exploited like that nor used for such a lengthy period of time, but he had managed to pull it off without ill effect. A few pepper-up potions and he would be just fine. He'd have to find the strength to reach for the potions first, but after eyeing the bedside table where the potions could be found Voldemort decided it wasn't worth the effort to move.

A surge of satisfaction ran through him though as he remembered what state he had left his little Gryffindor vixen in. Harry physically wouldn't be much better off them him, the five hours of mental sex would have transmitted itself to the teenager's body, but Harry would at least have his magical reserves mostly intact to help him recuperate. Oh how Harry had pleaded and begged for release in the end despite the fact that Voldemort had given in twice during their session and removed the cock ring just to see Harry's face as the powerful orgasms overtook him.

"Simply gorgeous." Voldemort muttered before allowing sleep to take him.

… … … … …

Harry woke slowly, a groan issuing from between his lips as every muscle in his body decided to make its discomfort known.

"Alright there mate?"

"Are you okay Harry?"

"I'm going to get Madam Pomfrey and Headmaster Dumbledore."

Three voices assailed Harry at once. The first and last were easy recognizable as Ron and Hermione respectively, but the middle one surprised Harry just a bit. The second voice had belonged to Neville. As Harry's senses finished waking and his mind put two and two together he realized that he was also in the Hospital Wing.

"What—what am I doing here?" Harry croaked, his throat feeling sore and abused.

"You don't know mate? You were having one hell of a vision. Madam Pomfrey gave you sedatives and Dreamless Sleep, but nothing seemed to work."

Neville nodded in concurrence. "I woke up a little after two this morning and you were moaning in your sleep, thrashing about on your bed. I woke Ron up and we got the Headmaster. He brought you down here when you wouldn't wake."

"What time is it now?" Harry asked despite already having a very good idea at the answer.

Neville checked his watch, but it was the Headmaster who answered.

"It is just after seven in the morning, dear boy, and while I hate to bother you after such a rough night I must ask you what happened."

"It was a torture session, Professor." Harry wasn't lying as he answered; it had been a torture session. A delightful, wickedly decadent torture session in which his body had been made to suffer all the creative things Voldemort could think to inflict upon it.

"Who was the victim? Do you know where it took place? We must know, Harry. Perhaps help can still be gotten."

Harry shook his head in regret. "It's too late Professor. It's over. There would have been nothing anyone could have done even if I knew where it had taken place."

"Do you know who it was?" The Headmaster persisted, his eyes dim with helplessness.

Harry, unable to say it had been him, merely shook his head. "It was too much, Professor. The torture—"

"It's alright dear boy." The Headmaster rose from where he had sat next to Harry's bed, moving aside so Madam Pomfrey could finally get to her patient. "You just rest today. I shall speak with Professor Snape to excuse you from your detention tonight so that you might recouperate."

Harry was saved from responding by the fussing Madam Pomfrey who, as an added bonus, also kicked out his fellow Gryffindors. His body felt like it had been through the wringer. It was definitely much too late to help him now. Five hours. Five bloody wonderful hours. Torture indeed. Tom could torture him like that again any time he pleased.

_**On the Fifth Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
Five hours of erotic dreams…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: December 29, 2007_**


	6. Sixth Day

From the responses I won't have to take a vote on whether chapter 5 should have been a bit more graphic--and longer. Maybe at some point in the future I'll write a longer version of Fifth Day, but I'm not going to make promises right now since I have a couple of WIPs that I really need to work on.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Sixth Day**

It had been quite by accident that he had heard the ill news, but Voldemort had discovered that the Unspeakables were onto Harry. Somehow they had begun to suspect that not all was right with Harry and that their golden boy-who-lived might be just a little bit more tarnished than they thought. It was the truth of course. Harry was not the innocent little hero the Wizarding World wanted and believed him to be, but neither Voldemort nor Harry was ready for Harry's true nature and loyalties to be unveiled yet.

Voldemort blamed himself for being careless, for not keeping his lust and need for Harry in check. He wasn't about to pull back now though, not when he still had six more days to shower Harry with presents, even though it would be extremely unwise to continue at this point. He wasn't about to let a group of overly suspicious Unspeakables stop him from showering Harry with gifts, he would just have to change his original presents into things that would be more useful to Harry. His gifts from here on out would have to be items Harry could use for his personal protection and Voldemort knew exactly where to start. It would take a few hours of careful preparation, but he was confident he could pull it off before the sixth day was over. He just had to get over his hesitation in enacting this course of action and do it.

He wasn't a foolish teen playing around with magic he didn't understand anymore; he was Lord Voldemort and he had spent years researching what he had done wrong in his youth and found ways to correct his errors. Still, he didn't think anyone could blame him for being just a little bit nervous as he began to trace a chalk circle on the bare floor of an empty room in the deepest part of the manors dungeons. Not daring to use magic in the room just yet in case it lingered and mixed in with the magic of the spell he would cast later, Voldemort paced out the dimensions of the circle and made a few adjustments where he found the circle to be the slightest bit off. Only when he was finally satisfied that the circle was as perfect as could be without employing a spell did Voldemort begin to trace layer upon layer of protective symbols both inside and outside the circle before finally finishing off with the walls of the very room itself. Should the circle fail for any reason at all the room would destroy itself and everything within it. He couldn't afford to mess up with his very life at stake like this, not when Harry needed him to do this.

Harry. If he messed up Harry wouldn't even know what had happened to him. Would Harry be heartbroken? Theirs had been a stormy relationship after all, one that Harry hadn't wanted in the beginning. It probably hadn't helped that he had kidnapped Harry from the supposed safety of his relatives' home the summer before Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. Voldemort had tried to convince himself that it wasn't kidnapping when Harry hadn't protested, but the bruised and bloody boy had been unconscious at the time and so not very consenting either.

Harry had stayed unconscious for two days, unable to hear any explanations, and only waking as Voldemort had sent his spirit energies into Harry to finish what he had begun that Halloween night years ago and sever Harry's link to the Gateway. Harry had understandably fought and their energies had mixed, accidentally bonding them together. They had both benefited from the bond in the long run though; Tom had regained the human body he had lost, Harry's magical pathways had healed where they had been damaged from James' ritual, and after a long bout of seduction that had ended up with Voldemort taking Harry to bed they had found love. That was why he was doing this, all of it. It was why he was willing to delve back into a brand of magic he had sworn never to actually perform ever again.

"For Harry." Voldemort said the words out loud to give himself courage before turning to the square black chest bound with iron that he had taken the chalk from earlier.

In the chest was everything else he would need to finish out the summoning. Candles, a brazier and chalice, incense, a white cloth embroidered with red symbols to accent the energies he'd be pulling on, a long strip of cloth, a stick of hazel wood, and the book he had painstakingly recorded each and every ritual in. The final object was an athame that had long ago been blessed and used by a Druid who kept the ancient circles; it had been extremely difficult to come by and had cost him a fortune, but it had been worth it to have such a powerful object as protection when he had performed other such rituals.

Methodically Voldemort emptied the objects out of the chest and placed them to his side before closing the box and covering it with the white cloth to form an altar. Carefully Voldemort walked around his circle to place the candles in their prescribed places, double checking as he went that there were no imperfections in the chalk lines. Arriving back at his starting point he placed the final candle upon the altar and knelt down before it. Picking up the book he flipped through the parchment pages to the right ritual words and placed the book to the left side of the altar, leaving the right for the chalice and the center for the athame. Voldemort took a deep breath and began the summoning, slicing open his left palm and allowing a small bit of blood to trickle into the chalice as he chanted.

"In the name of the one who holds the Dark, I summon thee. Yeter'el of the Nephilim."

Another trickle of blood.

"I summon thee Focalor, Duke of Wind and Sea."

More blood flowed into the chalice.

"I summon thee Leraje, Marquis of Battle."

Again Voldemort allowed blood to flow from his palm to join the rest in the chalice.

"I summon thee Andras, Marquis of Discord."

A fifth trickle of blood, he was almost done.

"I summon thee Marchosias, Marquis who will give the Truth."

Voldemort allowed the final bit of blood to fall even as he picked up the hazel wand from beside him on the floor and called for his last summons.

"I summon thee Beleth, King of Courage."

As Beleth began to materialize along next to his companions Voldemort struck out with his hazel wand to prove he was not afraid of Beleth.

Beleth chuckled. "Tom Marvolo Riddle. I am surprised you dare summon me again, but this time you do not quake. Why?"

The others, all Voldemort had once summoned with some degree of success or another, prowled within the confines of the circle. They had all assumed a fairly human form this time, upon his first summoning of each of them they had appeared to him in bestial form so as to be more frightening. Voldemort ignored him, intent on the second phase of the spell. Pulling a lock of Harry's hair from within a pocket of his ceremonial robes, Voldemort dropped it into the chalice of blood and emptied the chalice onto the rune of controlling. As the blood and hair hit the rune it hissed and frothed but absorbed into the symbol, causing the demons within to cry out.

Finally Voldemort dared answer Beleth. "I summon you this time with purpose, not just to play with my own power."

Marchosias moved to face Voldemort at the edge of the circle, wary now. "You speak truly this time when last time you attempted only lies."

Andras spoke next. "What is it you would have us do? Who have you bound us to?"

"I have bound you to Harry James Potter-Riddle. You are to protect him and obey him."

"And why should we?" Leraje demanded. "You summon us, high ranking demons, and expect us to obey whoever you tell us to?"

Voldemort smirked, knowledge if power after all. "This boy you will obey and protect with your very life. The very fate of your world and mine rest upon his continued well being. He is the one bearing the mark of the Gateway."

Consternation filled the faces of the demons and they looked to Marchosias.

"Truth." He confirmed.

"Very well." Beleth agreed. "The boy has our protection. But what about our blood price?"

"I will provide a body here every three nights for you all to share." Voldemort informed them before commanding. "Now your word that you will do as I have summoned you for."

As one the demons chimed. "You have it."

Voldemort erased one of the closing sigils and the demons disappeared, making their way by whatever means towards Harry's side. Quickly Voldemort erased the rest of the summoning sigils, leaving the circle for when he had to send the demons back, and blew out the candles. Only when this was done and he was sure that the six summoned demons were truly gone did he allow his trembling knees to buckle as he collapsed to the floor. Only for Harry.

… … … … …

Harry woke feeling that something was out of place. He was still in the hospital wing—despite his protests that one day had been more than enough rest—he knew that much from the open feel of his bed and the antiseptic atmosphere laced with the lingering odor of potions, but something was out of place. There was something _other_ in the room with him.

"_Adena, Maka, Tuuli, Nerina_." Harry called within his mind to the four elemental maidens who were now a part of him. "_Do you sense that?_"

"_We do._" They replied. "_They are old beings, born before we were created. We have known one of them since we were young._"

"_What are they?_" Harry asked, reaching inside himself for power in case he needed to fight.

It was Ajani who answered as he slithered up the bed to curl up on Harry's chest.

"_Demons._"

Harry sat up in disbelief, dislodging a displeased Ajani as the six demons resolved into corporeal forms about him and become clear to his eyes instead of just his senses. They were all male in appearance and extremely beautiful in an illusory way.

"What do you want with me?" Harry wasn't sure where the courage to speak came from considering that he was now partially surrounded by demons, but they hadn't attacked him yet so he held some hope.

"We come to protect and obey you as commanded Harry James Potter, Bearer of the mark of the Gateway." Six voices wove beautifully into one as they answered him, forming a pledge that would bind them to Harry until their service was done.

Harry gaped before allowing his body to fall backwards and his head to thump against the pillow. "What the hell have you done now Tom."

_**On the Sixth Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**Six demonic bodyguards…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: December 30, 2007_**


	7. Seventh Day

Here's to wishing everyone a Happy New Year's Eve. Stay up, party lots, and don't drive if you're drinking. Oh, and don't forget that plot bunnies love alcohol, almost as much as they love cold medicine. Happy Bunny Breeding!

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Seventh Day**

"Are you going to spend all day hovering over me?" Harry appeared to be talking to nothing but air as he wandered into the deeper reaches of Hogwart's dungeons.

"We are to protect you." The disembodied voice was smooth and sensual. "You are the one who said we could not be seen."

Harry sighed. He had escaped Madam Pomfrey's tender care very early that morning before the Medi-witch had even woken, charging the demons to hide so that they wouldn't be seen. There was no way he would be able to explain the presence of six demons who had just sworn their lives to protect him. What the hell was Tom thinking?

"Are you sure no one else will be able to sense you? The Headmaster is pretty powerful and I'm sure our new Defense teacher has had experience with demons."

"We have cloaked ourselves from being detected by any but you Harry James Potter." Yeter'el promised once again. "Not even Tom Marvolo Riddle could sense us now despite the fact that he was the one who summoned us."

Harry regarded a blank section of air curiously. "That's another thing, why do you keep referring to Tom and I by our full names."

Beleth snorted. "We shall have to teach you basic demon lore Harry James Potter. It is through names that power is given, we were formally summoned and bound to you by your full name and unless told otherwise that is who you are to us. Knowing your full name also allows us to pay you a visit should we feel the pleasure to do so."

"Does it give you power over me?" Harry asked shrewdly.

Marchosias smiled. "Clever to ask. It does in the sense that we know who you are and can in turn attempt to summon you to us if conditions are favorable. We do not possess the power to bind you to our wills though and we cannot give your name out without consent so you do not need to fear other demons gaining possession of your name."

Harry sighed again as he mentally cursed Tom for getting him into a situation in which he was supremely in over his head.

"In here then, and no more of the Harry James Potter crap. My name's Harry." Harry pushed against a section of wall that appeared solid. "Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets, my refuge. You can become visible here. It'll be easier to talk if I can see you instead of talking at where I sense you to be."

Slowly they began to appear all around him in their most humanistic forms, tall figures with long hair like the warriors of old, and each undeniably attractive in their own right. First was Yeter'el with his blue eyes, blond hair, and gray wings that spanned impossibly long. Focalor and Leraje manifested together. Both were dark haired and eyed but Focalor had the wings of a griffin while Leraje had none, preferring the guise of a green-clad hunter. Andras too was dark of hair and wing but with yellow eyes, his face briefly appearing to be that of a raven when he first became visible before settling into human features. Marchosias on the other hand chose to appear as a red-head with green eyes, a wolfish gleam to his eyes and long black wings draped about him like a cape. Beleth appeared last, snatches of music filling the air as he did so, brown hair blowing in an unseen breeze to tangle in with his white wings.

"Show off." Marchosias chided Beleth.

Beleth merely shrugged. "The boy is not one to be intimidated, so I show him my glory instead."

Harry was half tempted to start banging his head against the nearest wall, but Yeter'el had approached him looking as if he wished to ask something.

"Yes Yeter'el?" Harry still couldn't believe he was consorting with demons and was taking the easiest road by treating them as he would other people despite the fact that they claimed to be his bodyguards.

"I wonder what we do here." Yeter'el confessed his curiosity, seeming to have less trouble then the older demons in being straight forward about asking Harry things. "You seemed to have a purpose in coming here."

"I do." Harry saw no harm in telling them what he was up to despite the fact that everything he had ever heard about demons purported them to be lairs and untrustworthy; he just didn't get that sense from these six. If they had meant him harm they would have done it already. "I come here to train. I recently came to be bonded with Elemental Spirits and I need to learn to work in harmony with them."

Focalor was suddenly interested. "You are bonded with Adena, Maka, Tuuli, and Nerina?"

Harry nodded, remembering what the four had said about knowing one of the demons. "I am."

Focalor actually smiled. "I have known Tuuli and Nerina well. They are good friends. I will help teach you alongside them in the realm of wind and water. Will they be meeting us here?"

Briefly Harry felt along his connection with the Elemental Spirits, receiving a negative reply. "Not yet, they say I must play around on my own first but that they will come to visit later."

Focalor nodded. "I understand. Then for now I will merely give you a piece of advice. The Elements are not only all around you, but within you. Find them within you first and you can command those around you to do as you please. Do you know meditation?"

Harry shook his head. "I know the basics of it for Occlumency, but not much else."

Leraje stepped forward. "Then I will teach you meditation."

"I thought you were a demon of battle?" Harry was a bit surprised to find Marchosias would not be teaching him.

Leraje smiled so that his sharp teeth shown in the torch light. "Battle is not just about physical strength, it is about the mind as well. Teaching you meditation now will help when we teach you the sword later."

Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue the matter as his new teacher began to guide him in the exploration of his own mind and showed him how to do more than just follow mental bonds to their outside sources. The lesson ended up lasting for hours as the other demons began to join in the exercise as well to help guide Harry with their own brands of expertise and more than once Harry heard snatches of mental disparages on the clutter of a human mind. Harry finally called a halt to the exercise when he started having trouble concentrating because his stomach was clenching in hunger—he hadn't eaten the night before, instead wandlessly banishing his food because Madam Pomfrey had laced it with a Dreamless Sleep potion.

"I need to put in an appearance at the Great Hall for lunch." Harry explained after asking the others to turn invisible again. "Otherwise I'd just go to the kitchens and take some food when the house-elves weren't looking. What do you do about food?"

"Very well." Beleth took point as they left the chamber. "But do not concern yourself about sustenance for us. We can enjoy human food should the desire come upon us, but we have made arrangements for our true needs."

Harry let the topic go, falling silent as they traversed Hogwarts halls. Nothing was out of the ordinary until Beleth suddenly materialized before Harry in front of the closed doors of the Great Hall.

"There is something unusual behind the doors." Beleth had thrown an arm out to keep Harry from going any further, the others materializing and drawing weapons. "I can sense the unease and fear of the human occupants."

Harry groaned; it had to be another present of Tom's if it was causing this much of a disturbance. "Do you know what it is?"

Andras cocked his head to one side and once again Harry briefly saw the face of a raven overlay the human features. "It is a flock of ravens circling overhead, some are on the ground defending something. They are the ones causing unease in the humans—something occurred the other night in which they evoked the same response."

"It's safe then." Harry steeled himself to see what Tom's next present would be; he loved the man, he truly did, but Tom's idea of wooing him was starting to cause difficulties. "Can you—uh—disappear again. I know the ravens won't hurt me, they're Tom's messengers, and I really can't afford to explain or deal with the consequences of having demons as my companions right now."

Marchosias studied Harry for a moment before consenting. "Very well, Harry, but we will not hesitate to defend your life should we feel you are threatened."

"Thank you." Harry breathed, missing the surprised looks on the six demons faces as they disappeared. Harry opened the doors to the Great Hall.

Immediately all eyes turned to him and Dumbledore, quickly switching his gaze back to watching the ravens, told him to back out of the Hall slowly.

"No Professor." Harry moved slowly until he was clear of the doors so they would close again. "You and I both know the birds are here for me. I don't pretend to know why, but they are. If I leave it might aggravate them into action."

"But Harry." Hermione's face was white. "Remember what they brought last time."

"I know Hermione." Harry continued to move slowly towards the ravens sitting in a circle around a large crate, pretending caution even though he knew they wouldn't hurt him.

The ravens moved aside at his approach, all except for the leader who once again stepped boldly towards Harry with a thick sheath of parchment. Harry took the papers and went to open them but was stopped by the lead ravens caw. It seemed he was to open the crate first. Pulling out his wand, all the while watching the raven for approval and getting it, Harry tapped the crate so that the lid slid off. Hesitantly he peeked inside, he had no clue what Tom had sent him after all, and promptly started cursing. Dragons. Seven baby dragons in various stages of hatching at that, and from the looks of the inside of the crate he was the first living thing they had seen besides each other since hatching. This wasn't good. Harry knew his dragon lore very well, he had not only gone up against a nesting dragon in the Tri-wizard Tournament but had also been there when Norbert had hatched in Hagrid's hut. Imprinting. They would think he was their caretaker.

"_Mama…_"

One of the baby dragons hissed in something very close to parseltongue, surprising Harry since he had never tried to converse with a dragon before and wishing he had known he could communicate with them back when he was in fourth year. Then Harry realized what the baby had just said and began cursing even louder as the other six took up the chorus. Plopping unceremoniously on the floor, ignoring the professors who now dared to come close since the ravens were gone, Harry opened the sheath of parchment. It was a legal license authorizing him to raise and care for the hatchlings. Apparently he had been approved for a dragon outreach program through a little-known reserve in Romania.

"What is going on here, Mr. Potter." McGonagall demanded after looking through the crate and seeing the baby dragons.

Harry didn't answer, merely passed her the letter so that she and Professor Dumbledore could read over the official authorization along with Tom's note on how the two of them would make a great team and to please enjoy his gift. It was his way of disguising a gift as a means to sway Harry to his side. The two Professors began to argue about what to do with the hatchlings, Hagrid butting in that he would gladly take care of them, but Professor Dumbledore was already resigned to Harry having to keep the dragons himself. He too remembered his dragon lore and recognized the signs of imprinting. Harry tuned them all out and continued to stare into the crate at the wriggling bodies, never noticing the penetrating look Dumbledore was currently aiming his way.

"_Mama mama mama…_" The hungry newly hatched dragons continued to cry and Harry finally snapped out of his stupor long enough to hiss back reassurances. He was going to need a lot of raw meat.

_**On the Seventh Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
Seven baby dragons a hatching…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: December 31, 2007_**


	8. Eighth Day

My first post of the New Year. Happy New Years to everyone.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Eighth Day**

Harry looked resigned as a group of seven baby dragons came waddling towards him, a few of them flapping their wings for balance as they skittered around on ungainly claws over the uneven floors of the dungeon. Hagrid had been so thrilled when Dumbledore had said they could be kept in a pen behind the Gamekeeper's hut, but they had taken to growling menacingly at the large half-giant every time he came near and were more likely to bite his hand than take the meat he held out to them. They were perfectly gentle with Harry though and kept escaping their pen to find him. Of course, Harry was more than sure Yeter'el had something to do with their escaping. The Nephilim had taken a fond liking to the dragon hatchlings and was helping to encourage their rapid growth along with a little help from Andras' particular brand of magic.

Harry had a feeling that he was soon going to be the proud owner of seven fully grown dragons trained to be ridden courtesy of his very own demonic bodyguards. All of them, even Beleth, were acting like children who had just been given their very first puppy. Not that Harry could blame them—the little buggers were certainly cute and their protectiveness of him was endearing. At least they had finally stopped calling him mama, though being called Ophiuchus by them was only slightly better. He still had been unable to get a straight answer from Ajani as to why they had started calling him that.

"Yeter'el, did you have to let them out again so soon?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Harry." Yeter'el materialized beside him. "I cannot in good conscious leave them in the care of that half-giant. He attempts to treat them as if they his and would turn them into house pets given the chance."

Harry shook his head, resigned that Yeter'el would not stop liberating the dragons from their pen, and picked up the smallest of the dragons to cuddle with as it pitched headlong at him, unable to stop. He had to admit they were cute and secretly he wouldn't give them up for the world. Harry stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall, different from the one he had used the day before to access so that no one discovered that he was using the Chamber of Secrets as a hideaway; he was glad Salazar Slytherin had been cunningly paranoid and created numerous entrances all over Hogwarts that could only be opened by a speaker of parseltongue.

"Wait!" Leraje suddenly materialized in an attempt to stop Harry from walking into the danger he suddenly sensed awaiting them within the Chamber, but it was too late as Harry had already opened the door.

With a cry that was mostly shock, but a bit of pain Harry threw himself backwards and kicked out with the leg that had just come under attack. Something had bitten him, and while the teeth hadn't been sharp enough to sink in far the wound already burned with inflamed fire.

"What in the bloody hell was that?" Harry rose from where he had fallen awkwardly against the wall, calming the struggling dragon still in his arms with a gentle touch upon its head, gingerly putting weight on his leg so he could test the damage.

"A young nundu." Leraje emerged from the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets holding a tawny colored leopard with black spots and the odd stripe or two by the scruff of its neck as it twisted and snarled to get free; standing on all fours it's head would be at Harry's knee and yet the demon held it with the ease of one holding a kitten. "There are seven more and they all appear to be teething."

"Its official, the Dark Lord is stark raving mad." Harry proclaimed. "Unless he's expecting them to eat me. First demons and dragons, now nundu. What next? Acromantulas? He's starting to remind me of Hagrid."

Beleth was laughing as he grabbed another nundu up as it tried to run at Harry. "I do not think Tom Marvolo Riddle would find that comparison favorable. It appears he decided to be more discreet with this gift of his, but he must have given them something with your scent upon it so they would know you. They ignore us but come for you."

"Yes, well, while I appreciate your amusement at this situation I would like to point out that nundu bites are just as poisonous as their breath." Harry groused as his leg started to throb worse.

Yeter'el, who was quickly becoming the closest to Harry with his more open nature, frowned as he knelt to look at Harry's leg. "None of us truly possess much skill in healing and we cannot take you to the castle's nurse without arousing suspicion. Perhaps we shall find something of use with the rest of the nundu's in their nest?"

"Alright." Harry agreed as he pushed himself forward into the chamber despite protest after setting down the dragon and commanding it to stay outside. "I've been bitten once; I don't think another will matter too much right now."

Not willing to take any chances, the six demons quickly grabbed up the other nundu's so that Harry could poke around in the bedding that Tom had left them in. There was nothing there to help.

"Damn."

The cry had Harry turning in time to see a lithe, fur-covered body hurtling towards him. Leraje, who had ended up holding onto two of the teething nundu, dropped the first one as it managed to twist around and bite him hard on the hand. None of the others were close enough to intercept the pouncing leopard-like creature as it reached Harry and Harry braced himself for an attack that never came. Instead he felt a rough, wet tongue scrape across his face before the nundu turned to sniff at the leg it had bitten earlier. The wound too received attention from the tongue and Harry squirmed at the unfamiliar sensation, surprised to feel the heat from the nundu's poison abating.

After a moment more of licking at the wound, which was quickly fading to nothing more than a faint mark, the nundu decided to rub against Harry much like Crookshanks would when he wanted attention. Obligingly Harry scratched the leopard behind an ear and the other nundu's began to squirm harder in their captor's hold as they struggled to reach Harry. Marchosias let his go, wincing sympathetically as it promptly bit Harry on the hand before licking at the wound. After a round of shared looks, the others let the nundu's in their hold loose to have at Harry as well.

"It seems to be a claiming ritual, probably one that will also allow Harry to become immune to their poison." Marchosias observed. "Tom Marvolo Riddle must have raised them upon his scent. Nundu grow quickly into adulthood if they have not been killed upon birth, so little is known of their young years, but like any creature they can be trained to certain behaviors. A handful of wizards have been known to take them as pets in the past before it became outlawed. I had never heard mention of a claiming, but it makes sense given that the wizards who raised the nundu seemed immune to their poison."

Harry pushed himself out of the pile of cats he had found himself under, though they appeared to have come from the same litter he noticed each had a distinctive fur pattern of its own, and made his way to Leraje. He hadn't forgotten that the demon had cried out just before losing his grip on the first nundu.

"You were bitten. Are you alright?"

Leraje examined the wound carefully. "It causes slight discomfort, but it will not damage me and heals quickly. The poison will not give me lasting harm. I was merely surprised when it bit me."

Harry looked at the others. "Was anyone else bitten?"

He was greeted with a chorus of negative responses after a moment and Harry realized he had shocked them with actually caring about their welfare. He didn't know why it should surprise him, demons weren't known for having a good reputation in their relations with humans and Harry was quite sure a lot of it had originally stemmed from human actions when they summoned demons to do their bidding. Harry resolved to do something to change that, at least within his own little group here. They might take it as their purpose while here to protect him, but he was quite capable of taking care of himself. Harry glanced down at the gathered nundu pushing at his legs—most of the time anyway—but to his credit it usually took over a hundred wizards to bring down a single nundu.

A pathetic sounding mewl came from a few feet away, just far enough away from the nundu surrounding Harry so as not to be considered a threat. It was the dragon hatchling he had been carrying earlier, the others crowding right behind it despite his admonishments to stay out in the corridor. The nundu's turned on the small dragons with a hiss.

"That's enough." Harry warned the nundu, not sure if they would even understand despite the fact that they were considered highly intelligent magical creatures. "They were here first."

Surprisingly the nundu reluctantly stopped hissing and Harry picked his way from out between them to pick up the littlest dragon, moving cautiously back towards the first nundu to have bitten him. Cautiously the two sniffed each other, the nundu even licking the baby dragon much to its displeasure, before they butted heads as if agreeing that they could be friends. The next thing Harry knew he was once again surrounded, this time by both the dragon hatchlings and the nundu, an unseen signal having passed between the creatures in which they agreed to share Harry.

It all seemed too easy, but Harry wasn't about to press his luck and voice his thoughts out loud. He didn't notice as Andras briefly slumped wearily against Beleth, the Marquis of Discord having exhausted himself by using a little known ability of his to bring about harmony. Not many demons allowed it to be known when they could reverse their most common talent, in Andras' case brining peace instead of discord, because it was usually difficult for them; it also wouldn't do for it to become common knowledge to a Summoner who might not think as hard about calling up a demon if they knew they could command a demon to reverse the outcome of the original demand.

Finally Harry managed to convince the baby dragons and the nundu to run around the chamber and play with each other instead of crowding him; it had actually been fairly easy to accomplish by getting the dragons to translate his parseltongue to the nundu once he discovered that they understood each other. It would definitely make things easier in the future, that was for sure. Now he just had to figure out a way to convince the nundu that they had to stay in the Chamber of Secrets while the dragons go to leave with him.

Harry sighed, but pushed it to the back of his mind for the moment. Something else had just occurred to him that, while less pressing, needed to be done as well.

"We really need to think up names for these guys."

_**On the Eighth Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**Eight teething nundu…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: January 1, 2008_**


	9. Ninth Day

Here's chapter nine for you, but there might be a delay in the next couple of chapters. The bunny decided to take a twist that I hadn't thought of when originally writing this and I'm doing some rewriting.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Ninth Day**

Harry had finally managed to escape from the Headmasters office; he had been called up after lunch to apparently discuss arrangements for the dragons, but had instead spent a good hour being grilled by Dumbledore on why Voldemort was so suddenly taking an interest in him. Harry had of course insisted that he had no idea why Voldemort was suddenly making such an obvious bid to win him over, reminding Dumbledore that he had many times before refused Voldemort's offers, and was at a loss to explain why he had sent dragons as a gift. Dumbledore had finally let him go, seeming to buy Harry's musings on the subject, but Harry knew the mind that hid behind those deceptively twinkling blue eyes better than that.

Dumbledore knew something was up, perhaps not exactly what it was, but he was suspicious. Harry knew he would have to tread more carefully from now on; he was already walking a wire-fine line as it was. He'd be walking an even finer one if he didn't manage to get his winter homework done in time, but this was the first time he had been able to keep the dragons from following him into the Library to actually get the books he needed. After a moment he had decided to stay, enjoying the peace and the escape from the curious looks of the other students who had remained over the holidays. Rumor spread fast at Hogwarts and the newest one just happened to be that Harry was being courted to the Dark Lord's side—and considering it. Things were a bit rough between Harry and his dorm mates right now, doubt had been planted, and Dumbledore's careful watching of him wasn't helping matters. Harry just hoped Tom toned his gift giving down these last few days or he'd have to initiate his last resort plan and leave Hogwarts before he was truly ready to.

Pushing those thoughts to the side for the time being, Harry allowed himself to become engrossed in the transfiguration textbook he was using for McGonagall's assignment. Beleth, who had drawn guard duty for this part of the day now that it had been decided that all six of them weren't needed to be on full alert twenty-four hours a day, was amusing himself by getting around the wards on the Restricted Section to pick out reading he thought Harry would prefer much better. Harry decided not to let the blood splatters on the covers of some of the tomes influence his decision on whether to read them or not; if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that none of the demons would purposely give him anything that might cause him harm and that included cursed books.

Harry was unsure of how long the raven had been sitting there before it cawed at him to get his attention, pulling his attention away from the chapter he was reading on the dos and don'ts on transfiguring humans into inanimate objects—unsurprisingly most of the chapter was filled with don'ts.

"Hello Morrigan." Harry would never understand what had possessed Tom to name the male raven after the Phantom Goddess. "What did Tom send you with today? It can't be too bad considering you're alone."

Morrigan cawed as if to ask if Harry really believed what he had just said before holding out a foot sporting talons honed to razor sharpness so that Harry could untie the roll of parchment secured there. Uttering one last caw Morrigan flew off without a backwards glance, leaving Harry staring speculatively at the roll of parchment.

"Well?" The invisible Beleth prodded. "Are you going to open it or just stare at it all afternoon?"

"I think I'm just going to stare at it, thank you very much." Harry retorted even as he touched a finger to the seal holding the parchment closed, allowing his magic to undo the warding spells embedded into the wax so that he could safely open it; he'd really hate to see what might have happened had Morrigan been intercepted and actually defeated since Tom tended to protect his letters with really nasty spells keyed only to open at the receivers touch.

"Oh Merlin." Harry groaned as he saw what was written on the parchment. "What in Merlin's bloody blue balls was he thinking by sending me these?"

Beleth peeked over Harry's shoulder and let out a low whistle of appreciation. "Tom Marvolo Riddle must trust you a great deal to have given you these spells. You should be honored, most of those have been either lost or banned from this mortal realm and those possessing the knowledge of them wipe of their memories."

"Gee." Harry's voice took on a sarcastic edge. "That makes me feel so much better about possessing these spells. Do you want to just kill me now and get it over with?"

Beleth rolled his eyes even though Harry couldn't see him. "Come along, we must show this to the others."

Harry sighed and nodded, eyes going slightly unfocused for a moment. "They're all down in the Chamber right now. If we hurry we can get there before Yeter'el decides to wander around again."

… … … … …

So engrossed had both Harry and Beleth been in the arrival of Morrigan that neither had realized when Madam Pince had returned to the library. They hadn't sensed her presence as she had crept up on the table where Harry had been working and she had witnessed not only Harry talking to Voldemort's raven but heard him speak and be answered by an invisible entity. She had heard everything and Harry and his unseen companion had never known. But then again they wouldn't. The library was her domain after all. There was nothing that went on within these hallowed stacks of literature that she didn't know about, but for the most part she kept her peace about what she happened to learn or overhear unless it posed a real threat. What she had just witnessed—well, her contacts at the ministry needed to know immediately before Dumbledore discovered something on his own and had a chance to take action. She had no doubt that he too was already aware of what had just taken place.

… … … … …

"Yeter'el, Focalor, Leraje, Andras, Marchosias." Harry called upon entering the Chamber of Secrets, this time from somewhere up on the fourth floor of Hogwarts, making sure each dragon and nundu received a pet or scratch behind the ears as they came to meet him. "You all really need to come and see this."

"Oh?" Leraje materialized directly behind Harry in an attempt to scare the Gryffindor despite the fact that Harry seemed to have a keen sense of where the demons were at any given moment. "And what is it that we have to see so urgently little Ophiuchus?"

"Oooh." Andras flew down from the high vaulted ceiling of the Chamber to land next to Harry. "Is it the next gift from Tom Marvolo Riddle? What did your beloved Dark Lord who calls himself Voldemort present to you today?"

"Knock it off Andras." Yeter'el chided as he and Focalor joined them. "Harry and Beleth are clearly disturbed. What had happened?"

"Yes." Marchosias strode forward with a book held in one arm. "I too can scent your unease. What has happened?"

"Tom sent me another gift." Harry informed them. "See for yourself why we're worried."

Marchosias bit back a curse. "The Nine Spells of Moriah."

Beleth nodded. "Apparently the purge wasn't as cleanly done as we believed."

Yeter'el tried to take the roll of parchment from Marchosias, but the elder demon clenched it in one hand until it caught flame and burnt to ash. "If we are lucky that was the only version of the spells that was missed. The geas placed upon the spells should have prevented any further copies from being made based upon what was written on that scroll. Unfortunately, Harry, having glimpsed the spells you will now retain their knowledge until your death."

Harry sighed; he should have expected something like that with the way his luck tended to go. Yeter'el, Focalor, and Andras were still confused though.

"What are the Nine Spells of Moriah." Yeter'el asked. "And why haven't we heard of them before if they're so important."

Beleth and Marchosias shared a long look full of meaning and conferred with Leraje before turning to the youngest three demons.

"You have not heard of them before because it has been forbidden to discuss the Nine Spells of Moriah since the time of the Severing when the realms were split. What do you know of the Severing?"

"The Severing was, as you have said, when the combined realm of the world was split into three: Above, Below, and the Mortal Plane in between. There was a war between those who now reside in the Above and Below that nearly destroyed not only the Mortals but the very World itself. Each realm was connected by small portals through the Mortal Plane, a sealed Gateway connecting all three simultaneously." Andras recited it as if it were a lesson learned early in childhood.

Beleth nodded. "That is what is taught now. What has been made to be forgotten is that the Nine Spells of Moriah were commonly being used by those of the Above and Below, catching the Mortals in between and causing them great suffering. The knowledge of the Nine Spells somehow came into the hands of the Mortals and they used them to great despair, thus the worlds were severed and the knowledge of the Spells contained to prevent a repeat of the Great War. We should have suspected their existence was still possible given the ritual for the Gateway still existed, but we chose to hope otherwise even after finding out about Harry."

"What do the Spells do?" Focalor asked. "Or can't you tell us?"

Beleth seemed to study the three young demons with a piercing gaze before relenting. "I see no harm in telling you what they do, but do not ever ask Harry, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Leraje, Marchosias, or myself to speak the words or it shall mean your death. Swear it or leave the room while we speak."

Yeter'el, Focalor, and Andras thought about it for a moment like any true demon would before they all gave their solemn pledge. Each held up their right hand holding up two fingers to place across their lip. "On our names, power, and blood we so swear it."

"Very well. So mote it be." Beleth accepted their pledges. "Leraje?"

Leraje bowed his head for a moment, composing himself before looking up so that his gaze took in all three of the expectant demons. "The Nine Spells of Moriah. The first spell is one to force fidelity upon a being, binding an unwilling soul to a master; the bound one must do everything commanded to them, even sacrifice their own life. Second is the ability to foresee and tweak small events in the immediate future. Third is the ability to travel into and thus change the past; wizards have created time-turners to this effect but they do not allow one to go far enough into the past to make a huge impact and therefore are not considered property of the Third Spell of Moriah."

Marchosias picked up the lesson there. "The Fourth Spell banishes a person to another realm, and while not inherently evil on its own, can be greatly misused. The Fifth allows a person to revive the recently dead for a short time, and I mean completely revive to a point that mimics true life, but the zombie is under the complete control of the Caster. The Sixth Spell allows you to drain the magic of another to claim as your own; during the war many people suddenly came to possess powers that were not their own and they could not control them."

"The Seventh Spell eclipses the sun and brings darkness to the world, eventually killing all life unless the Caster releases the spell or dies." Beleth took his turn to narrate the final three Spells of Moriah. "The Eighth Spell allows the speaking of tongues, including the forbidden tongue of the Gods that opens the World and allows the speaking of the last and most dangerous Spell. The Ninth Spell will awaken a beast that lies coiled within the Earth, put there by ancient demons that possessed no true form but that which fire could give them. This great serpent's body makes up a great deal of the Earth's mass and to awaken it will lead to the complete destruction of the three linked realms as the Mortal Plane is what holds us together."

Yeter'el, Focalor, and Andras stood there, stunned as they took in the history that had long been hidden from them.

"Can this day get any worse?" Harry groaned, forgetting the cruel irony of the Fates as he uttered the question, looking up suddenly as an owl managed to find its way into the Chamber of Secrets.

Filled with dread, Harry took the letter and opened it.

_Harry, _

_I could lose my job over this, especially since I believe there is a good chance of truth behind the rumors of you having gone Dark given the change in you this past summer, but I owe you a life debt. Unspeakables will be coming for you tomorrow morning during breakfast, Dumbledore has assured them you will be there. All debts are now finished between us Mr. Potter._

_Arthur Weasley_

"What do you wish to do Harry?" Andras asked as he finished reading the letter along with the others.

Harry closed his eyes as if gathering his resolve, the iris' blazing green with power when he opened them again, and the letter burst into flames from Harry's elemental power. "We prepare to fight. We will meet the Unspeakables in the morning and show them we are not to be trifled with before we join up with Tom. I will not leave this threat at our backs. We take them out fast and we take them out hard so that they can't come back after us later."

_**On the Ninth Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**Nine spells of extreme power…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: January 2, 2008_**


	10. Tenth Day

Day Ten! I managed to finish it in time for tonight.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Tenth Day**

By dawn, Harry was ready. He had waited until his dorm mates fell asleep, courtesy of a sleeping spell when they hadn't done so fast enough, and methodically packed any of his belongings that he hadn't already had in his trunk. After that he had wisely emptied out and sealed off the Chamber of Secrets; he might never get back to Hogwarts again after today and it was better not to take chances and leave behind anything that might cause trouble for him in the future.

"The dragons and nundu are in place, Harry." Yeter'el informed him. "They will stay until commanded to attack."

Harry nodded his thanks as he finished pulling on his battle robes, making sure Ajani was comfortable, and covering the whole ensemble up with his school robes after making a few alterations to them so they fit over the other clothes. Using the nundu and dragons would be a last resort. The nundu were only just teething and so their breath wasn't as potent as it would be in another year or so, but it was still poisonous enough to cause a good deal of damage, and the dragons were still very young despite a nudge towards growth thanks to Andras' magic over animals.

"Is there anything else than needs to be done before we head down to breakfast?" Yeter'el asked quickly as Harry's sleeping spell began to wear off and allow his dorm mates to wake.

"I just need to send out the warnings to my friends here in the castle." Harry spoke quietly as he shaped a small flock of messenger birds with his hands, nudging them to send them to their respective owners. "It will be their choice whether to act or not. I will not blame any of them for not wishing to blow their cover."

Making one last visual sweep of the dorm, Harry was satisfied that everything was ready and headed down to the common room. Pavarti was there waiting as he had known she would be, looking as if she had hastily gotten dressed the moment his messenger had reached her.

"Are you serious about this?" She demanded.

Harry nodded. "This isn't exactly my first choice on how to handle this, but it is opportune, and I'm not going to waste the advantage."

Pavarti closed her eyes and nodded before asking the next question. "Blaise is going to go with you, isn't he?"

Harry looked at the girl in sympathy knowing how torn she was between her family and her love for Blaise; Blaise who had sworn to be his friend and support him until the end. "I can't say what Blaise might choose, I haven't talked to him since I decided to take this course, but I believe he will come. I sent you the message so that you know that you are welcome to come with us."

Pavarti took a step back, tears in her eyes. "I can't Harry. I love Blaise, but I can't follow him in this. I won't say anything, but—tell Blaise I care for him, truly I do."

Carefully, as if approaching a skittish wild animal, Harry hugged his fellow Gryffindor. "Come to me should you ever need anything Pavarti. Blaise and I will be waiting. We will not turn you away for deciding to stay today."

Pavarti nodded against his chest before pulling away and swiping at her tears. "I'm not feeling so well, I don't believe I'll be at breakfast. I'll have Lavender make my excuses."

Harry watched as Pavarti slipped silently back up to the girl's dorm before he turned and left Gryffindor Tower for the last time.

… … … … …

Breakfast continued to progress without incident, Harry growing tenser as time ticked by, until a little over half-way through the meal when ten Unspeakable suddenly appeared in the middle of the Great Hall. Harry didn't move, though the few students at the surrounding tables immediately jumped up and pulled their wands on the hapless men. They were gift wrapped; each man bound and gagged and the whole lot of them tied together by a huge black bow with little green dark marks dancing across it. It could only have been Tom. Tom had intercepted the attack meant for him and, thinking that he didn't know it was coming, had sent the captives to him as a warning to get out. For a moment Harry wondered why Tom had left the men alive, but his senses provided the answer. There was a really nasty spell worked into the ribbon, one that would simultaneously kill all the men the moment someone freed them. It wasn't something anyone would be able to detect, not even Dumbledore—Tom had used Parselmagic for the curse and disguised it by animating the hissing dark marks on the ribbon.

Harry kept silent about this little fact as Dumbledore hurried forward, already casting spells to check for any threats and not finding any, he wasn't about to do anything to help the men who had been coming to kill him. He had no illusions that they were going to take him alive, not after Tom had already shown them that Azkaban could be taken, and the Unspeakables were never sent out to make a mere arrest. Finding nothing, Dumbledore cut the ribbon.

Immediately the men started to choke, their fear laced eyes bugging out as Death fell upon them with his painful grip. It was not a pretty death, but what alarmed Harry was that to a one of them each man's appearance changed as they finally died. Polyjuice. They weren't the real Unspeakables, but a group of Ministry idiots sent out as a decoy. Harry whirled.

"It was a trap!" He yelled to his few allies in the Great Hall, seeing that they had relaxed their guard when the 'Unspeakables' had apparently been no threat. "Tom got a decoy troop!"

The doors to the Great Hall slammed open with incredible force, spells already flying towards Harry, but he was ready for it. Lunging, Harry threw himself to the side and sent a volley of his own spells flying in return. There were about sixteen or seventeen Unspeakables, more than Harry had ever expected to be expended for him since they apparently had Dumbledore's backing, and Harry knew his side was severely outnumbered.

"Beleth!" He cried even as he sent thousands of magical pins of light spearing through one of the Unspeakables, giving the pre-arranged signal. "I call you and yours to arms. Defend me!"

Immediately the six demons revealed themselves, jumping into the fray with swords, bows, and claws drawn as they fulfilled their pledges to Harry; even Ajani leapt into the chaos, biting at exposed ankles.

"What is this Dumbledore?!" One of the Unspeakables yelled as he fought with Andras. "You never said anything about Potter consorting with demons!"

Dumbledore meanwhile was having his own trouble with Beleth and Severus, the two working surprisingly well together despite never having met before as they took on the team of Dumbledore and McGonagall. Harry felt Yeter'el take his back, protecting him from an Unspeakable who had just dropped Blaise with a cutting curse.

"Yeter'el, call in the nundu and dragons." Harry ordered as he threw a blood-boiling curse at one of his opponents. "Still with me Blaise?"

"Yeah." Blaise croaked as he staunched the wound, pushing past the pain to reenter the battle as the nundu and dragons joined the melee to rip at flesh with sharp teeth. "I stupidly let myself get distracted; they won't be rid of me that easily."

"Good." Harry attempted to boost Blaise's morale and give him something to keep fighting for despite the odds; the Unspeakables were an elite fighting force in which one alone could take out a decent group of people, which said something considering the force they had sent after him. "There's someone who will kill me if something does happen to you."

"She's safe?" Blaise dared ask, relief and a renewed determination filling him as Harry passed on Pavarti's message. "Then I have no regrets."

"Harry!" It was Hermione's shrill voice; most of the students had fled the hall except for those who stood with Harry, but Hermione and Ron had stayed to oppose him. "How can you do this? How can you betray us all after what we've done for you?"

Harry met the curse she had thrown at him as she yelled with one of his own, still fending off the Unspeakables and thanking Merlin for the rigorous training Tom had put him through.

"How? After what you've done for me?" Harry asked incredulously, a short laugh of derision that was worthy of Severus bursting from his throat. "You've never done anything but ride in the wake of my fame. Well let me tell you something, I'm not nearly as stupid as you thought and I found out the truth. How much was Dumbledore paying you to be my friend? Was it money like Ron? Or something else?"

Harry dropped to the ground to avoid another curse before continuing. "I know what he offered my father if James would sacrifice me as a child to open the Gateway between the realms. James dreamt of being Minister of Magic, but was too lazy to make it on his own so he turned to Dumbledore and the dark magic Dumbledore gave him. If Voldemort hadn't gotten there first that night Dumbledore would have killed James at the first opportune moment so he could seize the power himself."

"Lies." Dumbledore called out, sounding winded. "I have always supported the Light."

"The light of your own ambitions, maybe." Harry refuted. "Surprised to see Severus fighting against you? I broke the servitude spell you held over him, freeing him from your manipulations."

Dumbledore's eyes hardened. "You could have had it all Harry. But you're throwing it away for what? Love? You seriously think Voldemort feels love?"

Harry smirked at the memory of a few days ago. "I know he does. Your time is over, you'll never have the chance to poison or twist the mind of another student ever again."

"I won't be beaten easily." Dumbledore snarled, shoving Beleth back and drawing power from Hogwarts herself so that the very stones seemed to scream in agony. "En varia—"

Harry's eyes widened, the harsh words ringing a chord within him as he quickly scooped Ajani up. "Pull out now! Take the portkeys! Andras, Yeter'el, get the animals."

They got out just in time, a few seconds later and the dark force that Dumbledore brought to bare against them would have overcome them. As it was Harry felt it pushing against his back even as his portkey whisked him away to the safety of Tom's side.

"Are you alright?" Tom was already there waiting for him, pacing in worry since Harry hadn't shown up immediately after receiving the warning gift.

"There was some trouble." Harry explained as Tom wrapped him into a hug, ignoring the fact that there was an audience. "The group you sent as a warning was a decoy for the real Unspeakables and Dumbledore decided to show his true colors."

"To what effect?" Tom questioned, mind already churning to prepare his next move.

"I don't know." Harry replied honestly. "It depends on how contained Dumbledore kept the spell."

An hour later they knew as a special edition of the Daily Prophet arrived, the headlines screaming:

_Harry Potter A Murderer! In League with the Dark Lord!_

Quickly Harry skimmed the article along with Tom.

"Great Hall destroyed…handful of survivors…don't remember much after Potter pulled his wand…Unspeakables gave lives…Dumbledore protected Potter's ex-friends, suffering magical exhaustion…"

Harry lay the paper down. "It looks like we have our work cut out for us. We're going to have to go into a full-out war with Dumbledore if we want to stop him. The timing's almost right for another Gateway ritual. We can't let him succeed."

Tom nodded in agreement. "I've already sent out the summons to our allies both here and overseas. We'll be ready to attack in two days, any sooner just isn't possible. I just wish it wasn't Hogwarts we were attacking."

_**On the Tenth Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**Ten Ministry Idiots all wrapped in a bow…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: January 3, 2008_**


	11. Eleventh Day

Ha! Just made it right before midnight to post this. This chapter is a bit more of a filler, revolving less around the gift than some of the others, but there's a reason for that. Enjoy.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Eleventh Day**

Harry woke to feel Tom's eyes upon him, the older man's eyes full of love and quiet contemplation. Harry returned the perusal, gazing upon Tom's strong and handsome face—there were still times when he could not reconcile the man before him with the creature that had been reborn at the end of his fourth year.

"What is it?" Harry finally asked, his voice slightly scratchy from sleep.

"Nothing." Tom smiled slightly, though he couldn't hide the apprehension in his eyes; for once in his life he had something to lose as they entered battle the next day. "I was just watching you sleep. I haven't been able to do that lately. I missed it."

Harry shifted on the bed so he could lean his head against Tom's shoulder, knowing the Dark Lord loved when he did that despite the fact that he would never ask for Harry to cuddle up to him. Harry in turn would never admit to how safe he felt curling up in the arms of Voldemort, how much strength he gained from feeling those comforting arms around him—it was like coming home—but they both had reputations to maintain.

"Oh." Tom rolled away from him for a moment, quickly rolling back so that Harry was in his arms once again. "I nearly forgot, your gift for today."

Harry found himself presented with eleven slips of paper, each with Tom's precise writing on them.

"What are they?"

Tom nudged him. "Read them."

Harry looked suspiciously up at Tom. "I'm not sure if I should. The last thing you sent me to read was those spells two days ago and now I'm a Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge and could be killed at anytime because of it."

Tom didn't have the grace to look sheepish, he merely chuckled. "These aren't anything like that."

"You're positive?" Harry asked mock-suspiciously. "You're not lying to me just to get me to read these?"

Tom's gaze softened. "I did not know those spells would cause so much trouble, or I would not have presented them to you. I did not know they were forbidden by anyone other than our own Ministry. Harry, I would give you the world if you would let me."

Harry leaned up to kiss Tom lightly. "I know, Tom, I know. But you don't have to give me the world, I already have it. I want nothing and no one but you and as long as I have you I have my world."

Tom traced a line down the side of Harry's face with a gentle finger. "What did I do to deserve you, Harry? I've been so horrible, I've done terrible things, and yet I find myself with you at my side giving me your love. I don't deserve you."

Harry kissed away Tom's doubts. "You do. You were willing to do anything to protect me, you changed yourself for me. It's I who does not deserve you. Now let's see what you've given me today."

Tom pulled Harry closer as Harry flipped through the eleven small slips of paper, each one containing a different activity Harry could cash in on. Tom would never admit it, but he had stolen the idea from muggles and had known immediately that Harry would enjoy this particular way of giving gifts.

"Tom." Harry choked at one particularly inventive and graphically described coupon. "Is that even physically possible?"

Tom chuckled, even despite all that Harry had been through there were some things that still managed to surprise the younger man.

"Oh, it is very possible." Tom hissed seductively in Harry's ear, switching to the more erotic parseltongue. "_I can show you exactly how possible it is if you want to cash that coupon in right now._"

Harry's eyes glazed over in anticipation as he clumsily attempted to separate the one coupon from all the others, hissing back as Tom's emotions spilled over into him. "_Yesss_."

Tom took the coupon from Harry's hand and vanished it since Harry was cashing it in, tossed the others onto the nightstand, and leaned down over Harry—

A knock sounded on the door, causing Tom to curse violently and Harry to start in surprise; he had nearly forgotten that not only were they supposed to be preparing for a war but that they currently weren't the only ones residing in the manor house.

"What is it?!" Tom snapped.

Hesitantly Severus' voice answered; Tom was less prone to throwing out undeserved curses, but that didn't mean the Death Eaters who had been with him during his first rise to power had forgotten how to watch their actions. "Our allies from Durmstrang have begun to arrive, My Lord."

"They can wait." Tom decreed impatient to get back to Harry's body, but Harry had already sat up.

"We can't make them wait Tom, not after how far they've come to pledge their allegiance to you." Harry pointed out wisely. "We'll have plenty of time for bed play later. We have our whole life together ahead of us. This wasn't the smartest time to start anything and you know it."

Tom sighed, but relented. "You're right, but I will claim you later Harry. That's a promise. Now let's get dressed, only I'm allowed to see you in such a disheveled state of undress."

Harry smirked. "Possessive much?"

"Very." Tom growled in return before darting in to claim Harry's lips for his own; only reluctantly did the two finally leave their bed to greet their guests, Tom slipping the unredeemed coupons back into Harry's hand. "For later."

… … … … …

"Viktor." Harry strode forward and shook the Quidditch star's hand while Tom was busy speaking to some of professors who had arrived from Durmstrang via the boat; Durmstrang had been the transportation point for their Russian allies. "It's good to see you again."

"It is good to see you as well, Harry." Viktor's voice had lost a good deal of its heavy accent since Harry had last seen the Bulgarian.

For a few minutes the two continued to make small talk, Viktor expressing his disappointment on having to fight against Hermione in the upcoming battle. Harry didn't understand his attraction to the girl at all, but then there was all the personal history between him and Hermione to account for in that judgement. Harry finally made his excuses though, passing Viktor off on Blaise much to the Slytherin's dismay, continuing to circle around the room to make sure their allies felt welcome and could see that he truly was the boy-who-lived instead of a trick set up by Voldemort.

Then, seeing a bit of suspicious activity going on in one of the corners of the manor's greeting hall, Harry made his way to where Fenrir Greyback and the twins were tinkering with something. Who would have known that the most bloodthirsty werewolf in recent history had a pranking streak in him that could rival that of the Weasley twins?

"What are you working on?" Harry slipped into the little huddle with ease, the twins always pleased to include the only heir to the Marauder's legacy; it also didn't hurt that because of Harry and Tom the two troublemakers had free reign of experimenting as long as Tom was given the first look at anything they created.

"Remember that movie you took us to over the summer?" Fred asked innocently.

Harry nodded, remembering the twin's excitement over muggle cinema. He suddenly felt a slight apprehension as he understood where this was going. He did not want to be around until after the twins had a chance to properly test their new product.

"And do you remember the grenade?" George picked up in true twin style.

"Just tell me where this is going." Harry knew Tom would be looking for him to join him at his side soon. "I want to know if I should find someplace in the manor to hide when you start testing—come to think of it I'll take Tom with me too so he doesn't end up killing you for all the commotion you'll likely cause with this group around."

Fenrir grinned shark-like at Harry. "Too late."

From outside the front of the manor came a resounding boom that made everyone sway unsteadily on their feet, Tom's raised voice yelling at the twins as angry shouting came from outside. Harry sighed, the twins really needed to work on their timing, their Veela allies had just arrived right at the moment of detonation.

"You might want to run." Harry informed the twins out of a sense of friendship. "Not only have you upset Tom, but you pissed off the Veela—Fleur's among them and she knows who you are."

The twins looked at each other in horror. They knew what Fleur was like when pissed.

"Let us make a hasty exit." George proclaimed.

"Yes." Fred agreed. "It's every twin for themself."

With a slight _crack_ the twins disapperated, leaving a puzzled Fenrir and a laughing Harry behind.

… … … … …

Finally, after a long day of discussing strategy and politics, Harry and Tom managed to take their leave and disappear to their chambers. It had been a long day and would have been even longer if Tom and Harry hadn't already been preparing their forces to move towards battle at a moments notice. They had no illusions that it would be a quick and decisive battle, they had been preparing for the past year for it to be a long haul, but they were also confident that they had done all they could for the time being. Later as things dragged out they would have to make changes, but at the moment they had the advantage in possessing not only a wide variety of allies but in having high placed spies in the Light ranks.

Feeling drained all of a sudden Harry climbed into bed next to Tom and pressed himself up against the older man, silently asking for Tom to put his arms around him. A shiver had run down his spine as if someone had just walked over his grave.

"Harry?" Tom asked the question with nothing more than his name, but Harry had no answer for what suddenly plagued him.

"Just hold me." Harry told Tom. "I just want to lie here in your arms and feel your heart beat beneath my cheek."

"Alright Harry." Tom dropped a light kiss on Harry's lips, secretly desiring to pick up where they had left off earlier. "I'll hold you for as long as you wish. Now get some sleep. There's a lot to do tomorrow before we make our stand."

Harry closed his eyes with a sigh, pushing aside his misgivings as Tom carded a long-fingered hand through his hair with an expert touch meant to soothe him. Belatedly he remembered the coupon from earlier as Tom shifted and he felt Tom's erection press against him, but in his current mood he would be unable to do Tom's gift justice and he suddenly couldn't seem to rouse himself from lethargy.

Harry would come to regret that later.

_**On the Eleventh Day of Christmas the Dark Lord gave to me:  
**__**Eleven carnal coupons…**_

* * *

**_Posted On: January 4, 2008_**


	12. Last Day

I know, I know, it's a day late. You almost had to wait longer because I kept rewriting stuff. Remember, no killing the author.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**Last Day**

Harry woke to find himself alone in bed, but the lingering warmth of the sheets and the still hot cup of tea on the nightstand told him that Tom hadn't been gone long. Lazily Harry stretched and waved a hand to summon the tea tray to himself. He knew he should get up and get dressed so that he could find Tom, but he found himself wanting to pretend that everything was alright for just a bit longer. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to want to allow him his illusions for long.

"Good morning Harry." Yeter'el walked in without knocking. "Tom Marvolo Riddle sent me to see if you were up yet. There is much to be done and you are to be presented today to finish the consolidation of power."

Harry sighed, he had purposely forgotten about that. Tom's final gift to him for Christmas was to be his own loyal inner circle, each member handpicked to follow Harry's lead before Tom's in all matters. He didn't want that sort of responsibility, but at least he didn't have to mark them like Tom had once done to his followers by branding the dark mark into their flesh. Harry still had no clue who his twelve were to be, Tom had adamantly refused to say anything on that point so that the 'surprise' wasn't ruined. Harry was really starting to get sick of surprises.

"I'm up. I'm up." Harry gave in as Yeter'el drew closer to pull him from the bed. "Can I at least get a shower before joining Tom?"

Yeter'el thought about it. "It should not be a problem if you do not take forever. They are not quite ready yet."

Harry tumbled the rest of the way out of bed and gathered up the robes Tom had left laying out for him to wear. The robes were made of the finest black dragon hide around, excellent for protection but not so heavy that they hampered his movement, runes and celtic designs of protection carved into the scales before having liquid silver poured into the grooves and infused with magic. The robes were meant to be worn over a simple pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt. It was an outfit meant for a leader, which was what Harry would have to be from now on. Harry was so tempted to tarry in the shower, to take time to enjoy the hot spray drumming over his body and forget about the duties waiting him, but Tom was also waiting for him and that was worth more than a long shower any day.

… … … … …

Normally at the far end away from the doors of the ballroom you could find a raised dais sporting two chairs, an area of empty space large enough to hold about twenty people directly in front of that, and the rest of the room would be taken up by row after row of chairs so that the most notable figures in the army Tom and Harry commanded could be seated. Today there was none of that. The ballroom of the manor house had been turned out and thoroughly scrubbed by house-elves over night, tapestries bearing the Slytherin and Potter crests decorating the walls, but nothing else was present leaving the large room empty. It was here that Harry went to wait for Tom and thankfully he didn't have to wait long, he just wanted to get all this over and done with so he could disappear with Tom for a few hours and make last night up to his lover.

"Here he comes." Yeter'el, who had stayed with Harry to keep him company since making sure he was up, announced. "And the others come with him."

Harry watched them all file in, his new twelve advisors, with Tom in the lead. Behind them came Tom's inner circle, but they stopped just inside the door so that they could bear witness instead of taking part. Harry turned his attention back to the men who now stood in front of him. Some of them like Fred and George, who had managed to somehow escape Fleur's wrath unscathed, and Severus and Blaise, Harry had expected; it was the other eight who surprised him. The other eight who Tom had picked to be a part of his twelve were Draco Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback, Beleth, Marchosias, Andras, Focalor, Leraje, and Yeter'el.

"Beleth?" Harry questioned the Demon King, knowing how the others would defer to him unless the subject was their area of expertise.

"We have made a deal with Tom Marvolo Riddle." Beleth smiled at him, actually smiled. "We shall stay upon this mortal plane until you, Harry James Potter, decide you no longer have need of our company…or our friendship."

Harry knew what it had cost the proud demon to admit that he actually considered a mortal, even one who possessed a link to the Gateway, as a friend. It made him feel a whole lot better about the days ahead.

"Thank you." Harry said, bowing his head in respect to those gathered. "Thank you all. As you know, you have been chosen to form my inner circle, to be my advisors and bring to this war your knowledge and skills. Today, here, you come to pledge your services to me, but I will not be marking you as Voldemort once marked his Death Eaters. Instead I will give to you a pendant strung upon silver wire that you may wear to show your loyalties."

Tom moved to Harry's side then, the pendants in a case in his hands. "You will each step forward as Harry calls to you."

"Severus Snape."

Harry chose his professor first; if not for Severus Harry probably would never have considered Tom's initial courting and lost out on so much happiness. Harry slipped the first pendant, a tiny skull head with down-curved wings and hollow eyes, over Severus' head. Severus bowed his head in acknowledgement as he swore his allegiance and moved to stand to Harry's right. After that Harry called the others in quick succession: Blaise, the twins, Fenrir, Draco, and finally ending with his six demonic bodyguards turned friends. That left Tom holding two final pendants that Harry had never seen before. They were his pendants, but instead of being hollow there were green gems in the eye sockets. Tom lifted one over Harry's head before fastening the other around his own neck.

"I will never mark you with the Dark Mark, Harry." Tom whispered into Harry's ear as he leaned forward. "But you have most certainly marked me. If you wish I will get us rings after the muggle fashion, but for this moment I found these a more appropriate way to signify our bond."

"It's perfect." Harry told Tom. "Much more so than a ring. These pendants symbolize us. I chose the winged skull because it reminded me of your name as Voldemort."

"I'll never live that down." Tom grumbled. "Will I?"

"I doubt it." Harry tilted his head back, his fingers tangling together with Toms as a thought struck him. "Let's make our bond official, not just one of magic. Here, now, with our circles to witness."

Tom smiled, squeezing Harry's hand in his own. "I'd like that."

"I will officiate." Beleth had overheard their conversation. "You each need to choose someone to stand with you at your side."

"Lucius." There was no hesitation in Tom's voice as he chose, but Harry needed a moment to reflect, settling on Severus since he had picked the potions master to be his first advisor; Blaise and Yeter'el had been his other close choices.

Smiling, both Death Eaters took their place at the shoulders of their respective leader, placing their right hands on the shoulder nearest them to give their support to the union. Beleth moved to stand in front of Harry and Tom, picking their entwined hands up in his own while being careful not to scratch either of them with his long nails and began the short, simple ceremony.

"I, who tests the courage of men, join and witness the bond of these two, Tom Marvolo Riddle and Harry James Potter, through the mercy of the Fates. Who stands for them to witness and approve of this bonding?"

Lucius spoke first. "I, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, first advisor of Tom Marvolo Riddle, do stand for them to witness and approve of this bonding."

Severus smiled down at Harry briefly before speaking, even though Harry couldn't see how happy his professor was for him. "I, Severus Hadrian Snape, first advisor to Harry James Potter, do stand for them to witness and approve of this bonding."

"So mote it be." Beleth intoned, a flash of light over Tom and Harry's joined hands sealing the ritual.

Beleth stepped back to allow the two bonded to turn to each other, joy written in Harry's eyes as Tom lowered his head to claim the younger man's lips. It was a tender kiss, but Harry could taste the possessiveness in it as Tom's tongue slipped around his, tangling their mouths together so that their breath became a shared thing, but he didn't care. He wanted this, wanted to be possessed by Tom now and for all eternity. So enwrapped were their senses with each other, indeed almost no one in the room could take their eyes from the kissing couple as their magic seemed to literally dance around their joined forms, that they never knew the danger until it was too late.

It had seemed as if Draco had merely moved to stand beside his father at Tom's back, but his intent was much more dangerous than merely getting closer to the officially bonded couple. Harry realized what was happening first, but it was already far too late as he felt Tom's lips rip away from him, stealing their shared breath and leaving him winded. Harry could only stand there and watch during the eternity it took for gravity to pull Tom's arching form out of his arms and towards the floor, he couldn't stop the fall.

All around him the room burst into action, Draco was dead quite a few times over within seconds as spell after impassioned spell jerked into and through his body, but Harry was frozen.

"Tom…"

Somehow Harry managed to unlock his knees enough to fall to the floor beside his beloved, those gorgeous dark eyes already glazing over with the pain of death. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, Tom had protected himself from death, he was Lord Voldemort!

"Harry…Love…" Tom tried to say more, but blood burst in a foaming froth from his lips.

"No!" Harry screamed as he felt the life leave Tom through their bond, felt as if he had just been ripped in half. "You can't die! You can't! You're Lord Voldemort! You can't die and leave me! Not now…not now! I can't do this on my own…Tom…"

Harry started to shake, rage and grief mingling together to form a black pit within his soul. "DAMN YOU! COME BACK TOM!"

The anger pushed itself back to allow grief and outlet, Harry's voice dropping to a broken whisper. "Give him back to me…please."

"Harry—"

It was Yeter'el who dared grab Harry's shoulders and shake him, the Nephilim looking wildly about him as the room started to shake with the force of Harry's torn emotions. Harry shook him off, broken.

"He left me." It was the hopeless voice of a broken child who had just had their entire world ripped from beneath them. "He just left me…"

Slowly Harry allowed himself to be helped to his feet as Yeter'el reached for him again, but the moment he was on his feet he stepped back away from everyone in the room. The doors to the ballroom burst open, the nundu and dragons coming to Harry as they sensed his distress, but they couldn't go any further as power began to swell around Harry. Harry's eyes had gone blank as if no one was home, but words still poured from his lips.

"No Harry!" Beleth struggled with the force that held him immobile, trying to reach Harry before they lost him completely. "Not the Gateway!"

The fabric of reality tore open behind Harry as the very seams of the world in that spot were pulled apart. Harry turned to face it, ignoring the cries of voice behind him as if he could no longer hear them. He no longer cared; his life and future had just been cruelly ripped away from him. Like a dead man he walked through the opening, leaving Chaos to reign behind him.

**On the last day of Christmas my true love gave to me…  
****His last, unknowing kiss…**

"**Give him back to me…"**

* * *

**Posted On: January 6, 2008**


	13. The Song

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I'll get over it._

**The Song**

_**On the First Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Second Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Third Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Fourth Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits,  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Fifth Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Five hours of erotic dreams,  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits,  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Sixth Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Six demonic bodyguards,  
**__**Five hours of erotic dreams,  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits,  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Seventh Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Seven baby dragons a hatching,  
**__**Six demonic bodyguards,  
**__**Five hours of erotic dreams,  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits,  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Eighth Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Eight teething nundu,  
**__**Seven baby dragons a hatching,  
**__**Six demonic bodyguards,  
**__**Five hours of erotic dreams,  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits,  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Ninth Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Nine spells of extreme power,  
**__**Eight teething nundu,  
**__**Seven baby dragons a hatching,  
**__**Six demonic bodyguards,  
**__**Five hours of erotic dreams,  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits,  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Tenth Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Ten Ministry Idiots all wrapped in a bow,  
**__**Nine spells of extreme power,  
**__**Eight teething nundu,  
**__**Seven baby dragons a hatching,  
**__**Six demonic bodyguards,  
**__**Five hours of erotic dreams,  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits,  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the Eleventh Day of Christmas,  
**__**The Dark Lord gave to me  
**__**Eleven carnal coupons,  
**__**Ten Ministry Idiots all wrapped in a bow,  
**__**Nine spells of extreme power,  
**__**Eight teething nundu,  
**__**Seven baby dragons a hatching,  
**__**Six demonic bodyguards,  
**__**Five hours of erotic dreams,  
**__**Four Elemental Spirits,  
**__**Three dead Dursleys,  
**__**A two-headed Runespoor,  
**__**And Peter Pettigrew tied to the Whomping Willow Tree…**_

_**On the last day of Christmas,  
**__**My true love gave to me  
**__**His last, unknowing kiss…**_

_(whispered brokenly)  
_"_**Give him back to me…"**_

* * *

**_Posted On: January 7, 2008_**


	14. Epilogue

I know I promised this to you ages upon ages ago and I know it's short, but I wanted to finally wrap this story up. I may someday in the far off future add more to it, but at this moment I decided against that since it would be mostly recapping the twelve days over again.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter or any such related things so sit back, enjoy the story, and don't sue me. _

_Epilogue_

Harry woke up, blinking away the spots in front of his eyes. It felt like someone had flashed a bright light in his eyes but the dorm room was still dark. Harry reached up with him right hand to brush a lock of unruly hair out of his face and his finger brushed across his scar. He wondered what Tom was up to, he had missed his lover greatly since returning to Hogwarts and their recent fighting hadn't been helping things lately. TOM!

Instantly everything came flooding back to him. The twelve days of gifts, the ceremony, Draco killing Tom…

He had opened the Gateway then, using the eighth and ninth spells of Moriah to take his pain out upon the world, damning them all. But then how was he back here in the Gryffindor dorm? Harry pulled his wand, a funny idea striking him.

"_Tempus_." He murmured, the date and time appearing in glowing numbers before his eyes.

His suspicions were confirmed. He had gone back in time, back to the night before he had received Tom's first gift. He had no idea how this could have happened, unless—had he said the time spell as he was sucked into the dimensional gateway? Or had some higher power stepped in? Quite frankly Harry didn't care. He had a chance to save everything this time. He could save Tom.

A wicked idea formed in his head and he hoped that someday Lucius would be able to forgive him. He knew the elder Malfoy wasn't all that attached to his son, but Draco was unfortunately his only child and heir. Swiftly getting dressed Harry grabbed up his wand before snaking a hand under his bed to bring out a long, cloth wrapped shape. Reverently Harry unwrapped the cloth to reveal the sharp gleaming blade of Gryffindor's sword. Beautiful. Slipping from Gryffindor Tower, Harry made his way through the silent school to the Slytherin dorms. The serpentine guardian had no problem letting him in.

A quickly cast, localized silencing charm ensured that he wouldn't wake up any of Draco's roommates—though it was tempting to wake Blaise and allow him in on the fun—but even then he didn't plan on drawing things out. He wasn't doing this to be cruel or for revenge, at least not wholly, and dawn was fast approaching. One quick thrust had Draco's eyes flying open long enough for him to gaze upon the face of his death and for Harry to watch those gray eyes glaze over. He felt remorse, but no regret. Lifting the sword again Harry was glad for the spells that kept the blade so sharp as he hacked at Draco's neck in order to take the Slytherin's head.

Availing himself to a liberal amount of Draco's own expensive perfume and a lighted log from the fire, Harry destroyed his handiwork through flame before erasing any traces of his magic in the dorm. He knew the others would wake before Draco's body fully burned, but the fire would do enough damage to keep Harry in the clear. Swiftly he made his way out of Slytherin territory, using hidden passages to get to the owlry unseen. A little bit of fancy spell work later and Draco's head was neatly wrapped in Christmas paper and on its way to being delivered to Tom. Yawning, Harry began to head back to Gryffindor Tower, humming to himself and pleased with his work.

He only had eleven more gifts to come up with now and he couldn't wait to re-receive his own. And this time nothing was going to ruin his Christmas and impending nuptials. Not even those who had for some reason given him this second chance.

… … … … …

Tom was nearly giddy as he sent the owl off with Harry's gift. He had everything planned out right down to the littlest detail. He was going to make sure this Christmas was the best one his lover ever had. No one would be able to top the gifts he had planned—gifts both deadly and beautiful. Gifts that would be useful in the times to come.

As he watched his gift fly away, Tom was surprised to see an owl winging its way towards him. If he wasn't mistaken it looked to be the owl Harry used to send things to him. The owl drew closer and Tom was pleased to see that it was Harry's second owl—Hedwig was too conspicuous after all—and he left the window open. Gracefully the owl flew in, deposited the package on Tom's desk, and glided to the owl stand where food and water waited. It was clearly a present from Harry. For him. It almost surprised him to receive the present, they had been having some nasty fights through their letters over Harry staying at Hogwarts for Christmas, but Harry wasn't the one actually holding the grudge.

Tom found himself eagerly ripping the paper off and found himself staring into the death-glazed eyes of Draco Malfoy. Almost hesitantly Tom reached for the note lying in the Malfoy heir's mouth, wondering if the gift was really from Harry after all—this was not like his lover. He knew there was no love lost between the younger Malfoy and Harry, but he did not believe they were still openly hostile to each other. In fact Tom had contemplated making Draco one of Harry's advisors in the future; Draco was nothing like his father, but he was still a Malfoy and that carried a lot of weight.

The note proved him wrong and Tom couldn't help the darkly pleased grin that spread over his face—he and Harry were a lot more alike in though than he had expected. The note read:

_**On the first day of Christmas, my True Love, I send to thee,  
Draco Malfoy's traitorous head wrapped up so prettily…**_

_**

* * *

**_

Posted On: January 26, 2011


End file.
